The Afterlife
by gracia.michelle
Summary: Set after the finale of season 5. Damon and Bonnie embark on an adventure in the afterlife as they explore new worlds in hopes of finding the means of returning to the land of the living and to their loved ones. But when things turn sour and the living and the dead clash in an epic battle will Damon, Bonnie and their new friends be able to restore order once more?
1. The Passage

_AN: I hate the fact that we have a cliffhanger and I now have to wait for months before we finally get to know what happened. So to get me through this time, I decided to write a multi-chapter fic that follows Bonnie and Damon on the other side of the other side. I got some of my inspiration for this story from the books. That being said, the guardians in my story aren't a lot like the ones in the books. They are similar but as you go on, it will all be explained to you. So, go ahead and read it. I hope you like it. Also, don't forget to leave a review._ I'd really like to know what you guys think.

One minute they were standing in the midst of the disintegrating other side and then the next, they were in a large room filled with people. Damon let go of Bonnie's hand as he took a good look around him. They were in some kind of a corridor. It was so long that he could only see the walls on the left and on the right. It was plain and the walls were bare. There were no windows, no source of natural light. Crystal chandeliers, evenly spaced along the ceiling, provided the lighting for the room. It wasn't the room that they were in that was remarkable but the number of people who were in there. The large room was almost fully packed. Judging by what some of the people were wearing, they didn't even belong to this century. He couldn't help but wonder if this is where supernatural beings passed on to now that the other side had been destroyed. That would certainly explain the number of people in the room. Just like him, most people looked lost. He turned to his right to see Bonnie standing rooted to the spot taking it all in.

"So this is what's on the other side of the other side?" he asked Bonnie.

"I guess so. Anyone who didn't find peace is probably here."

"Do you think there are rules against exploring in here?"

"I don't know but let's not find out."

"Come on, Bonnie, where's your sense of adventure?" He grabbed her hand once more and walked to the left wall. Bonnie reluctantly followed him. She was convinced that this was a bad idea. The pair walked on and Bonnie noticed that a people seemed to be crowded a little further up ahead. "What do you think is happening there?" she asked.

"There's only one way to find out" and with that Damon made his way towards the crowd. When they got closer, they noticed large double doors that were clearly locked. People were pushing against it trying to get it to open. "What do you think is behind those doors?" he asked Bonnie.

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it's the way back home or peace or simply a way out." Bonnie noticed that the crowd was starting to get rather out of hand there. "It's clearly not going to open so let's just keep moving."

Damon nodded and the two continued to walk down the seemingly endless corridor. There were a number of large double doors like the first and at every one of them people were trying to break it open. "You know, we've been walking for what's probably been hours now and I don't feel even the slightest bit tired", commented Damon. "I may be a vampire but this much walking, I should be feeling something."

"Not necessarily", said Bonnie. "It felt the same way when I was on the other side. You don't feel fatigue or anything else that's ordinary. It's as if there is no time or space." She then stopped dead in her tracks. "This is quite a change", she said standing in front of yet another set of double doors. "How come there's no one trying to break this door down?" she asked.

"I don't know", said Damon as he moved closer to the door. On closer inspection, he could tell that the door was made of some kind of heavy wood. The door knobs were made of bronze and when he twisted them, the door swung open easily.

"What are you doing? You could wreak havoc on this place if you're going to be opening doors that could lead to just about anywhere or anything!" Bonnie admonished.

"What are you so afraid of? We're dead. What's the worst that could happen? Although what you should be asking is why no one's trying to open the one door in the entire room that actually opens."

"Maybe it's because they already did and then thought it would be better to leave the door shut."

"Let's be realistic. If they really thought that, they wouldn't be trying so hard to open the other doors. Let's just take a look; we really have nothing to lose." Bonnie looked uncertain. "If you're not coming, I'm not waiting around for you. I'm going and whether you come or not is up to you."

"Fine, fine, I'm coming."

Without a backward glance, Damon stepped through the room. The door closed after Bonnie. The first thing that they noticed was how dark it was. The corridors had some kind of light but this room had none. "Where are we?" asked Bonnie.

"I don't know. But if this is what's behind every door, I'm not impressed." Just then, they heard a click and the lights came on. They realized that they were standing in a large ballroom. Just like the corridor, the walls of the room were bare and there were no windows. The only difference was the size.

"This is place looks really creepy. I think we should just wait outside with the others." Bonnie was unnerved by the complete silence in the room. They couldn't even hear the noise from the corridor.

"Maybe we should", said Damon and just as he laid his hands on the door knob to open the door, they heard a voice say, "Damon, Bonnie! I was starting to worry the two of you wouldn't be able to find your way to this room."

The two of them turned around to find an old man dressed in a suit that made him look like an undertaker. Despite his age, the man stood tall and even towered over Damon. Damon immediately turned around and step in front of Bonnie and asked, "Do I know you?"

"I believe you don't. Let me introduce myself. I'm Andrew and I am a guardian, just like you, Damon", said the old man.

"I'm not a guardian. I don't even know who a guardian is or what he does. I think you have the wrong person. Now if you'll excuse us, I think we'll go back and wait with the others in the corridor." Damon then turned back and was about to leave when Andrew stopped him with a question. "Aren't you wondering why everyone out there is trying so hard to open the doors but they can't while all you had to do was turn the door knob for it to open for you?"

This caught Damon's attention. He turned around to face Andrew. "What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. All those poor people are trying to open one of those doors hoping that they might somehow be able to get to earth. But the truth is none of these doors can take someone back to earth. It's not that easy. They aren't being separated from earth by a thin veil anymore; they're in a different realm altogether but they don't realize it."

Bonnie's head was spinning with questions. "And what realm are we in?"

"This realm is what we like to call the Passage. Now that the other side has been destroyed, the supernatural beings that die on earth will no longer be forced to live in solitary confinement. They can now pass on to one of the other realms. The Passage is exactly that – a passage from life to afterlife."

"So we're stuck in between. Does that mean we can go back to earth somehow?" For the first time since she found out about the disintegration of the other side, she felt hope.

"It's not impossible but not everyone can do it. It's certainly not as simple as casting a spell. The only people who can really go back are the guardians. We guardians aren't confined to one realm; in a manner of speaking, we can exist in all the realms of the world."

"So who exactly are guardians?" asked Damon.

"Now you're asking the right question. Guardians themselves aren't elected or chosen, they are destined. They always belong to either a witch or traveller bloodline. You have a lot to learn Damon, but I won't be teaching you all this. It was your mother's duty to teach you about the guardians but unfortunately, she died before you turned 18 and as a result couldn't tell you about it. However, she did write it all down for you in great detail in a book that she left to be gifted to you on your eighteenth birthday and correct me if I'm wrong but you failed to read it and it's still in a shelf with your books in your bedroom at the boarding house."

"How do you know all that?" Damon asked in awe.

"I know this because it's my duty to monitor all the future guardians. You were to join us much sooner in preparation but of course, things didn't go as they should have. You didn't die in the war; instead you got turned into a vampire. We were lucky that the other side wasn't destroyed before you came here. This place is already in chaos and if it had to wait years for you to come to us, things would have gone horribly wrong. Had you been here sooner, you would have had more time to prepare to take on your duties as a guardian. You have much to learn especially the use of magic and this place can't go for too long without a guardian to make sure that people reach the afterlife as they should."

For the first time in his long life, Damon was lost for words. But Bonnie still had a number of questions that she wanted to ask. "So, Damon's a guardian that's why he's here. Why am I here? Shouldn't I be out waiting to reach my afterlife?"

"Yes and no. Yes, you are a supernatural entity who died on earth and so you should be waiting for Damon to obtain full knowledge of his duties as a guardian so you can be transported to your afterlife and no, because your grandmother made a deal with us. Since Damon's mother was unable to teach him how to use magic, he is need of a tutor. That's where you come in."

"You want me to teach him how to use magic?" asked Damon incredulously.

"That's right", said Andrew. "Let me give you a brief idea of what you're task is." He then took out a book from his jacket and held it out to Damon. Damon stepped forward and took it from him and opened it. "This is the book your mother left for you. From this, you will learn everything you have to about guardians. Bonnie will teach you how to perform magic spells. Traveller magic and witch magic are essentially the same but it's the source of magic that varies so you shouldn't have any trouble at all. You will be drawing your power from the universe directly. Once you learn how to do some of the simpler spells, I'll come back to find you and instruct you on the specifics of your duties. Once you learn the full extent of your powers and your duties, you will be able to transport all those people to their afterlife. Also, you will be able to return Bonnie back to earth. However, I must tell you this, it is very important that you learn everything as quickly as possible. The Passage cannot survive very long without its guardian. Good luck, Damon." With that Andrew vanished leaving Damon and Bonnie alone in the room once again.


	2. Information Overload

_AN: Thank you for all those follows and favorites and reviews. They make me write faster. So here's the next installment. Hope you like it. Please do review._

As soon as Andrew left, Damon turned to Bonnie and said, "I still don't believe him."

"What? Why not?"

"Does any of that sound believable to you? Do you really want me to believe that I'm some kind of guardian who can help dead supernatural beings find their way to the afterlife? I know we live in a world of vampires and hunters and werewolves but this is way too much, even for us."

"Think about it, Damon. You do belong to Silas' bloodline. So you do have magical roots. Your mother did leave behind a book that is supposed to explain it all to you. The only way we'll ever be able to find out for sure is by reading it. If there's a chance that we can go back to earth, we have to try it."

"No, Bonnie, you can go back to earth when all this is done. I can't. I'm going to have to stay back here and send people to the afterlife."

"But if what Andrew said is true, you exist in all realms, you can move between here and earth. Come on Damon, we have nothing better to do right now. It won't hurt to read the book."

Damon looked at the book in his hand for a while and then making up his mind, he sat down on the floor, resting his back on the wall and opened the book. Bonnie sat down next to him, eager to see what the book had to say. The first page was a letter addressed to Damon.

"My dearest Damon,

If you're reading this letter, it means that you have finally turned eighteen. I do wish I could be there with you right now and watch you grow up and take full charge of your destiny. But alas, it is not possible. This mortal life is fragile but I'm happy to have lived as long as I did. There is much that I must tell you. A letter would not have been enough. It is my duty to teach you the truths of this world. For this reason, I have left you this book. It is important that you read it and remember it. I know that some of what I'm about to tell you will be overwhelming but you must believe for such is your destiny as was mine. As you read this book, remember that I love you and will always watch over you as will the others of our kind. I pray that you will not take your duties lightly. Whatever they maybe, they of utmost importance and you must carry them out to the best of your abilities.

Happy birthday, my dear boy.

With love, from your mother."

After reading the letter, Damon had to concede that there must be some truth to what Andrew had to say. But he was still sceptical. The idea of there being multiple realms and guardians to watch over them seemed a little farfetched. "Done?" he asked Bonnie. She nodded and he turned the page and began to read it out loud.

"I don't know how or where to start so I will start by simply saying this – Damon, you are a guardian just as I once was. I know you may not want to believe me but this is true. There are many things that you need to understand. The history of the guardians was the first thing my father, who was also a guardian, told me and that's where I will start as well.

Centuries ago, the first supernatural being to die, a traveller by the name of Anya discovered that death simply meant leaving our bodies behind and travelling to another realm. She was all alone in a long corridor with many doors, which she named the Passage. Being a very curious woman, she opened each of these doors and found that they led to different realms. Soon, she was joined at the Passage by another traveller. When she told him what each of the doors led to, he couldn't believe it. He tried to open the door closest to him but couldn't. Surprised, Anya tried the same door and it open to another realm as it always did for her. Together they ventured into this new realm which she called the Garden. It was filled with flowers and rolling hills and flowing waters. When they went back to the door to return to the Passage, Anya was able to pass through the door while the other man wasn't. This puzzled her to a great extent but as more and more travellers began to appear in the Passage, she realized that only a select few were able to do the things that she could. Together, these travellers called themselves, guardians.

Witches soon entered the ranks of the guardians after Qetsiyah created the spell for immortality. As a result, a guardian could have been a traveller or a witch in their lifetime. In addition to this, Qetsiyah created the other side. When she did this, she interfered with things that are best left alone. Supernatural beings who died no longer entered the Passage, they were trapped on the other side. Only those who found peace were able to enter the Passage. As a result, the number of souls coming into the Passage became very small.

The guardians soon found that they could perform powerful magic by drawing power from the universe directly. With the help of this magic, the guardians were able to travel between realms and even alter things in the different realms to maintain the balance. This was a huge task for the guardians who split their responsibilities amongst themselves and five of them were chosen to form the High Council, with Anya as its head, to ensure that other guardians did not abuse the power that they were given. When the guardians had explored all the realms and the High Council delegated tasks for the guardians, it was found that the universe ceased to bestow guardian powers on anyone else. It was later found that the original guardians were all travellers and witches who had died violently and before their time.

All was well until a few years later when the guardian in charge of earth fell in love with a mortal woman. He made a pact with the High Council that in exchange for his life, he would transfer his guardian powers to his first born child who would take on his duties. The High Council agreed and one of its members acted as the guardian of Earth until the child was ready to take his place. As time passed, other guardians were allowed this privilege if they ever fell in love with a mortal. They would be returned to life and would be the same age they were when they died and their first born child would live until the age at which the parent guardian originally died while the parent guardian could live their life out until they died a natural death. Before the child's death, the parent guardian was to instruct them in the ways of magic and in the ways of the universe and the guardians. The future guardians were also taught about the veil and thus were able to pass on sooner than the other spirits. That's how you became a guardian too.

I died when I was 24 and became a guardian. It was my duty to ensure that the balance was maintained whenever a magical spell was cast. It was years later that I met your father and fell in love with him. I approached the High Council with my request and it was granted. I returned to earth as a 24 year old woman and soon, I married your father. Two years later, you were born and seven years after that, your brother was born. I may not have had as much time as some of the other guardians have had on earth and even if I had a chance to change things, I would not. The time we spent together as a family and the happiness that we shared is worth so much more than eternal life. Know this and take courage when your time comes to leave the earth because you can come back here again. You too may have the opportunity to grow old in this realm."

Damon paused. He had read less than ten pages and there was still a whole lot left. Bonnie looked up at him and asked, "What is it?"

"It's nothing. There's just a lot to read and honestly this is really getting annoying."

"I know that it's a lot to take in but we really need to know more about where we are and what you're supposed to be doing." Damon simply nodded. The little that he had read had his mind spinning. "It doesn't make sense", he said abruptly.

"What do you mean? It all makes perfect sense to me."

"If I'm supposed to die and become a guardian at the same age my mother died for the first time, I should have died at 24 too. I did die but I didn't go on to the other side, I became a vampire."

"You weren't really listening to Andrew were you?"

"I did listen to what he said. But from what I can tell, the guardians cast a spell that swapped one guardian for the other. I find it hard to believe that the magic took 147 years to correct its course and even then, we're not entirely on the right path. And besides, when I turned into a vampire, I gave up all connections to magic. I'm not a traveller anymore and that means I can't be a guardian."

"Technically you are from a traveller bloodline through your mother so you can be a guardian." She then got up and twisted the door knob but the door didn't budge. "It's just like the book said it would be. You can open doors on this realm that the rest of us can't." She paused. "Look, I don't understand exactly what's going on in here and I'm not going to pretend like I do. But what I do know is that there are some things that magic cannot alter like how there is no magical spell that lets you travel through time. There's a higher power at work. Didn't your mother mention that 'the universe ceased to bestow guardian powers on anyone else'?"

"Are we going to put our faith in the universe again? The last time we thought we were dealing with the universe, we were actually dealing with Markos, the not-so-friendly traveller."

"Until just a few minutes ago, you didn't believe you were a guardian either."

"What makes you think I believe it now?"

Bonnie took the book from Damon's hands and held it up for him to see. "It's all here in this book – the very same book that your mother left to you as a present for your 18th birthday. What would it take for you to believe?"

"I don't know. Maybe a little less talk about the universe and how I'm supposed to help bring order to that place" he said pointing at the Passage behind the door. "Why is it so important to you that I believe in all this anyway?"

Bonnie was silent for a while before she replied, "Because it means there's still hope for both of us. I know that you've made your peace with the fact that you're dead and you may never see Elena again but if there was even the slightest chance that you could get to see her, talk to her and kiss her again, wouldn't you take it?"

Damon thought about it for a minute until Bonnie interrupted his musings. "I think I know how I can convince you. But you have to really try." When Damon gave her a confused look, she continued. "Guardians belong to the traveller bloodline and they can perform magic in all realms. So if I teach you how to do some small spells the way Andrew wanted me to, you'll have proof that everything that he said and everything that your mom has written in this book are all real." Damon still looked unconvinced. "What do we have to lose by trying?" she pleaded.

Finally Damon reluctantly agreed. "I'll give it a shot but no promises."

"No promises", Bonnie repeated and smiled reassuringly back at him. Damon wished he had at least a shred of the optimism that Bonnie clearly seemed to have. He didn't want to answer Bonnie's question about taking a chance because even if they weren't the best of friends, he did not want to dampen her spirits. This realm seemed to radiate gloom and he decided not to add to it. But the truth was that he wouldn't take the chance; he couldn't let himself hope. Life had taught him that hope only lead to disappointment. He had made his peace with leaving behind Elena, Stefan and Alaric and Enzo. He knew that if he let himself hope and things didn't turn out the way he was told they would, he knew that he would be crushed. There was no way he would be able to recover from that. So, he decided to do what he had become very good at in the last few year; he decided to protect his heart.


	3. Back to School

_AN: Thank you for reviewing and reading and following. I can't tell you how much they mean to me. So here's the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. Read and review please._

Bonnie sat down facing Damon. "Close your eyes", she instructed him. Seeing no other option, Damon did as he was told. "Now I want you to relax. You can't do anything if you're stressed or angry or upset. That's how spells go wrong." "Way to take the pressure off", snarked Damon. "Just do it, Damon. You said you would try", responded Bonnie. Damon sat still with his eyes shut trying not to think about everything that had happened since he had passed on from the other side. His mind kept going back to just one word – guardian. The expression on his face was all Bonnie needed to tell her that he wasn't calm at all. "Think of a quiet place that you would love to go to", said Bonnie trying to be encouraging. Damon's mind immediately flashed to the lake just outside the Salvatore property that he used to frequent right after his mother's death whenever he needed to be alone. The place used to calm him. He used to spend so much time there that after over a century, he could still recall even the smallest detail about the place.

When Bonnie saw that Damon's breathing had evened out she said, "Open your eyes now". When he did, he felt much calmer. "So what I'm going to try to teach you first isn't a verbal spell. Verbal spells are used to perform more complicated tasks. To do something relatively simple, you just need to concentrate hard enough and will it to happen." "Is that how you gave us the aneurism?" Damon asked, interrupting her. "Yeah, that's how it worked. You need to stay calm and focused. If you let your emotions get in the way, you might end up blowing up the room. We need something small to try this. Do you still have you day light ring?" "Yep", answered Damon, holding up his hand to show her the ring. "Put it on the floor", she said. Damon removed the ring and set it on the floor between both of them. "Okay, here's what you have to do. I want you to make the ring float. Direct your thoughts at the ring and make it levitate. You can't think of anything else at the time. Hold your hands over the ring, like this." She positioned his right hand so that it was about three inches above the ring and the palm of his hand was directed at the ring. "Think of your hand as the satellite dish that transmits power. Are you ready?"

Damon nodded and he tried to focus on the ring. He managed to push the events of the last few hours out of his mind. He imagined himself siting on the banks of the lake on his own. It was just him and the ring, nothing else. He mentally asked the ring to float but nothing happened. "Try harder, Damon. Think about the ring. Visualise the ring floating a few inches about the floor", he heard Bonnie's voice at the back of his head. "When you feel the ring responding to you, lift your hand up slowly and the make the ring follow the movements of your hand." He did exactly as Bonnie told him to do. In his mind's eye, he could see the ring floating a couple of inches about the floor. He commanded reality to fall in line with his thoughts. He slowly lifted his hand but the ring didn't move from its place. When he realized that it didn't work, he looked up at Bonnie. "It was a good attempt, Damon. You need practice. It takes time to learn even the simplest things at first. It will get better, I promise you."

"Or it won't", said Damon. "Bonnie, this is insane! I can't perform magic. We're both crazy for even thinking for a minute that there could be any merit to what Andrew said. Even if I was born to be a guardian, it could have just as easily changed when I turned."

"Then how do you explain the doors?" challenged Bonnie.

"I don't know. Neither of us does and unless the guardians already have a vampire in their ranks, they don't know either."

"So what? Are you just going to give up?"

"I'm not going to give up. But I sure as hell don't want to spend hours together locked up in a room thinking of what's what and going insane. I want to know what's going on and I want to know more about the other realms and all that but right now I've had enough."

"Alright, then, let's take a break although I can't think of what else we could do. I'm stuck in this room and until you learn how to travel between realms, the only other place you can go to is the passage."

"Technically, I could go to the other realms through the other doors."

"You can do that but you won't be able to. There are way too many people huddled around every door. Even if you did manage to get one door open, I doubt if the guardians would be happy with every dead supernatural creature living in the same realm."

"Why don't we just go back out to the Passage and maybe take a little walk?"

"You go ahead."

"Aren't you feeling claustrophobic in here?"

"Damon, I'm not a guardian. Once I pass through one of these doors, I can't get back to the Passage."

"Let's not go around saying things like that until we've seen proof. Come on, get up." Bonnie got up slowly. "I tried magic because you asked me to and now you have to return the favour."

"I'll try but don't be surprised if it doesn't work."

Damon opened the door again and they were immediately assaulted by the noise of all the people in the Passage. "I miss the soundproof room already", said Damon as he stepped out on to the Passage. "Your turn." Bonnie self-consciously put her left foot out beyond the door frame and to her surprise she was able to step on to the Passage. "What did I tell you?" Damon couldn't resist gloating. "Did you know I'd be able to make it through?" she asked. "I guessed you'd be able to", he said. "The reason why others can't step back into the Passage is because they went to another realm. The Passage is like a one way street. But when you passed through that door, you didn't go to another realm; you simply went to another part of the Passage. In a manner of speaking, you never left. I figured that the Passage couldn't keep you out when you didn't leave it in the first place."

'I'm impressed. Let's not get too far away from here though. I don't want to end up spending ages trying to get back here."

"Agreed." The two of them walked towards the opposite side wall of the Passage. Damon suddenly stopped Bonnie and staring straight ahead he asked, "Is that who I think that is?"

Bonnie followed his line of sight and saw long blonde hair. "Lexi!" she called out loud.

The blonde vampire turned around at the sound of her name. Her eyes focused on Bonnie immediately. "It sure is nice to see a familiar face out here. No, that came out wrong." It was only then she caught sight of Damon. "Damon, what are you doing here? I was sure you'd be able to pass back to the land of the living."

"Well, you thought wrong", he said. "Bonnie's witch friend stopped the spell before I could pass through her."

"You had one job, Salvatore. I can't believe you screwed that up!"

"It's not like I did this on purpose."

"Well at least some things don't change", said Bonnie under her breath.

"Bonnie, we're both vampires. We can hear you", said Damon.

"Have you guys seen Alaric?" asked Lexi.

"He passed through. Damon was the only one who got left behind", answered Bonnie.

"At least I found peace before he did. I guess that counts for something. I wish I could have hung out with him more, he seemed like a lot of fun." After a pause she added, pointing at Damon, "Although I'm not sure. He was friends with you."

"And you were friends with my brother. At least he still has better taste in friends that you do."

"Are the two of you going to keep going at each other for all eternity?" asked Bonnie.

"She hates me and I hate her. What do you expect?" said Damon.

"Of course I hate you. Did you forget the part where you staked me?" Lexi shot back.

"It was for the greater good", Damon said in his defence.

"You know what? Never mind", said Lexi, giving up on the older Salvatore. She turned her attention back to Bonnie. "Do you have any idea where we are and what we're doing here?"

"It's a long story. But basically we're in a realm between the realm of the living and the realms of the dead. We have to wait here until Damon can learn how to be a guardian and he'll help you pass on to one of the many realms of the dead" explained Bonnie as Damon silently listened.

"What's a guardian?"

"Like I said it's a lot to explain and we don't even know everything."

"So we will get out of here eventually and move on to another realm", said Lexi trying to make sense of it.

"That's right. You'll spend the rest of eternity in that realm."

"And that depends on Damon?" asked Lexi. When Bonnie nodded, she said, "Then I guess we aren't going anywhere anytime soon." Damon shot her an annoyed look. "You act like that's not true", she said.

"Look, we don't know if any of this is true. The idea of me being a guardian makes no sense to me. There's no way I can perform magic, not here or in any other realm", said Damon in an exasperated tone.

"Damon was able to unlock that door there," said Bonnie, pointing at the door that led to the room. "Another guardian called Andrew came to us there and told us about all this. He gave us a book that was written by Damon's mother which was given to him on his 18th birthday. That book is supposed to explain everything. But it's huge and it will take a lot of time."

Lexi looked up at the opposite wall but couldn't see a door. "Bonnie, I don't see a door there." Puzzled, Damon spoke up, "It's right there. How could you not see it?" "Maybe it's something the guardians came up with. That's probably why no one else is trying to open that door. We're the only ones who can see it", answered Bonnie.

"Doors that no one else can see, a book with instructions that was written over a century and half ago…Damon if this doesn't convince you, I don't know what will", said Lexi still deep in thought.

"Damon and I should probably head back and try to figure this out", said Bonnie.

"I think you should. I guess I'll see you two around. Good luck, you two." Lexi then went on her way looking for other familiar faces. Damon and Bonnie went back to the room and sat back down again. Bonnie was the first to break the silence. "Do you want to give magic one more try or do you want to go on reading the book?" Damon thought for a minute. "I think we should just read. Maybe this book could somehow help me make sense of all this", he said as he opened the book and turned to the last page that he had read. Bonnie sat back, ready to listen to what the book had to say.

"Fate dictates that you will die a violent death but don't be afraid. You will be leaving behind this life only to take up a new one. When you die, you will pass on to the other side. It is of utmost importance that you make peace with your death as soon as you can. The best way to do this is to ensure that you live your life with as few regrets as possible. You must find a way to be happy with your lot in life. If you have any unfinished business, you will not be able to pass on. You have six years left. If there is anyone with whom you must make amends, do it now. Do what you must so that you die without worry or regret.

When you find peace, you will pass on to the Passage which is an intermediate realm. All the dead souls pass on to this realm when they find peace and from there they are taken to one of the many realms of the dead where they will spend all eternity. The guardian in charge of this realm will examine each of the dead. Based on their deeds on earth, the universe will unlock certain realms to them. The guardian's task is to transfer them to one of these realms. It is important to ensure that too many of the dead do not enter into one realm. The other people in the Passage can only see the doors that lead to the realms that they could pass on to. A guardian can determine the same by casting a spell that will allow them to see only those doors that the person can see. However, when you arrive at the Passage, you will be able to see all the doors. The guardian in charge of new guardians will meet you there and take you to meet the High Council. They will explain the specific duties that you must perform as a guardian. You will then have to travel to the particular realm that requires your attention and that is where your task will begin. As time goes on, you may be asked to take on other duties if any of the guardians intend to leave their positions in order to go back to earth."

Damon stopped reading when he thought he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He looked up to see Bonnie resting against the wall with her eyes closed. He turned back to the room. Bonnie opened her eyes when she realized Damon wasn't going to continue and when she was about to ask him about it, she noticed he was staring straight ahead. She turned to see what he was looking at and saw Andrew standing there. "It's a good thing that your mother decided to start with the Passage. She gave you an outline of your task here."

"Were you watching us?" asked Damon.

"Of course, I was. It's my duty to watch over you and ensure that you take your place among the rest of the guardians."

"Well, it's going to take some time. He's not going to be able to learn everything this easily", said Bonnie.

"I know", agreed Andrew. "That's why I think we need to make some minor changes in Damon's instruction." Turning to Damon, he said, "I think we can put reading your mother's book on hold. I want Bonnie to teach you how to perform magic. I will then tell you about your tasks and you can start with your duties. You can then continue reading this book and figure out how to transport your friend Bonnie back to earth. If you can complete that spell, I would know that you have understood all that you need to understand. The Passage is already too full and it must be dealt with. The destruction of the other side has all the other guardians busy as well and there isn't anyone who is available to help the souls here. I can't express the dire situation of the Passage well enough." He then directed his attention back to Bonnie. "Bonnie, when you teach him to perform magic, I want you to remember that guardians can do anything using non-verbal spells. So don't waste your time on any incantations. Understood?" When he saw Bonnie nod, Andrew left the room once more saying, "Good luck, both of you."


	4. Practice Makes Perfect

"Why does he keep doing that?" asked Damon. He was annoyed with Andrew for popping up and offering him no real answers. "I don't want to try to perform magic again. It isn't working!"

"That's not necessarily true. You just need more practice. It took me days to cast my first spell, there's no way you can do this in a few minutes. You have to give it one more shot." Bonnie gave Damon a pleading look. He was at a loss. He didn't want to be disappointed yet again. At the same time, he didn't know what else to do. He looked at the book in his hands and considered going back to reading it when Bonnie interrupted his thoughts. "The book might have the answers that you're looking for. Andrew even mentioned that it will help you figure out how to get me back to earth. But none of that matters if you can't cast a simple spell. Think about it, Damon."

"I don't want Andrew to just come in here and call the shots only to disappear again without giving us any real answers."

"I get it but right now we don't have a choice. I believe Andrew because everything that we've read in that book so far seems to agree with what he's told us. He's the only person around here who seems to know something. The only way we're going to ever get out of this place is by listening to what he says."

"I know", Damon agreed reluctantly. "That doesn't mean I have to like it", he said as he put the book back down. "I seem to be completely incapable of performing magic. So what do we do?"

"Learning to perform magic takes time. You can't just give up after one try! Let's give it one more shot." She turned so she sat facing Damon again. "Take your ring off again."

"Yeah, sure, 'cos levitation is the most important thing I can ever learn." But he still slipped off his ring and placed it between the both of them.

"No, but it's somewhere to start. Last I checked, I was the one who could perform magic while we were still alive."

"You were also the one who thought she was teaching a newbie witch magic."

"Just concentrate, Damon. Imagine the ring floating in air and then command it to do exactly what's on your mind."

Damon took a deep breath and looked at the ring. It didn't seem like he was going to get out of this. He closed his eyes for a minute trying to push everything else out of his mind. He then focused on the ring and pictured it floating in the air. Bonnie sat in front of him and watched the ring intently. Just when she thought nothing was going to happen this time, she noticed the ring being lifted off the floor by just a few millimetres and it wobbled in the air for a second before it dropped to the floor again. Bonnie sat up straighter and asked, "Did you see that?" Damon nodded, too surprised to speak. "You did it. You just need a little more practice and you'll be able to keep it in the air longer. Don't let the ring's response break your concentration."

"I have an idea. Now that you know that I'm doing it right, why don't you read the book while I practice? I would feel just a little bit better if you didn't sit around watching me like that." Damon took out the book and handed it over to Bonnie. She took it from him and sat back leaning on the wall. "You've got yourself a deal." When he saw Bonnie sit back and start reading the book, he turned his attention back to his ring. He blocked out everything around him and focused on making his ring float and following his directions.

Bonnie flipped the pages of the book until she found the page where Damon had stopped and began reading. "The intermediate realm for human souls is called the Golden Pathway. It works exactly like the Passage. The realms that these two intermediate realms lead to are completely different. The only realm in which supernatural beings coexist with humans is earth. On the surface, the earth is exactly what you think it is but it is the most complicated of all realms as this is the only realm where witches and travellers can perform magic. In addition, humans can be turned into supernatural beings. While multiple realms of the dead can be monitored by a single guardian, multiple guardians are required to monitor the earth.

Humans rarely cause any trouble on earth. Very few of them know about the supernatural beings they share their world with. With the population of the supernatural entities being as large as it is, five different guardians watch over the magic which is performed by them. Each of them monitors a different area. I was one of these five guardians until I chose to return to earth as a human. We ensured that the balance was always maintained. In a manner of speaking, we were the enforcers for the universe on earth. One last thing you must remember about the earth is that it is filled with a number of secrets. Learning these secrets is important in order to travel between the earth and the other realms. I will explain these later in this book." Bonnie looked up from the book and was about to mention what she had just read. But she saw Damon sitting with the ring in front of him, concentrating hard. She watched for a little while and noticed that he was able to get the ring about an inch off the floor until it dropped again. Each time the ring fell down, Damon grew increasingly annoyed but with every effort, he was getting the ring to levitate for a slightly longer duration. Not wanting to disturb him, Bonnie turned back to the book. She figured she would tell him what she had just read whenever he decided to take a break.

"Other than the realms of the dead, the intermediate realms and the earth, there is one more realm that exists. This realm is called the Darkness. It is a large and dark space to which only the vilest of supernatural beings are sent. The souls that are sent there spend their time alone. When the universe decides that they have paid for their crimes, they will be able to pass on to the Passage and then to their afterlives. Those who have been sent into the Darkness don't always pass on to the Passage. Some of them fail to repent and that is what happened many years ago. A vampire who was cast into the Darkness refused to feel any remorse for his actions on earth. He wandered the Darkness alone and soon found a way to interact with others in the Darkness. The vampire recruited the worst souls who entered the Darkness. Together they called themselves the Knights. To this day, the Knights are the guardians' greatest opponents. These Knights even found ways to intercept souls who were on their way to the Passage or the Golden Pathway. It is the duty of the guardian in charge of the Passage to retrieve these lost souls as well. The Knights cannot perform magic but they are smart and resourceful. They have found ways that make up for this. Guardians usually stay away from the Knights and as a result there isn't much that we know about them or about how they intercept souls."

Bonnie was troubled by what she had just read. Andrew had mentioned that Damon was supposed to be in charge of the Passage and according to the book it meant that he had to ensure that the lost souls were returned to the Passage. Andrew hadn't mentioned anything about that or the Knights. She continued to read, "Most of the lost souls are held in the Darkness against their will. But some of them have joined the Knights. Despite their limited powers, the Knights have disrupted the guardians' tasks to a great extent. The High Council is in the process of making plans to reform these Knights. Since most guardians fear them and rightly so, this task has proven to be very difficult. There is also a prophecy that states that a powerful guardian will rise and will bring the Knights to justice. The exact terms of this prophecy is known only to the High Council.

The High Council is in no way more powerful than the other guardians. They are simply elected representatives. Knowing the words of the prophecy gives the guardians a significant advantage in defeating the Knights. It is a secret that must be protected at all costs. The prophecy is kept a secret from other guardians for fear that the Knights might attack them while they are travelling through the Darkness and learn about it. The Darkness separates the earth from the other realms. In order to travel back to the earth, a guardian must cross the Darkness. This takes considerable expertise. New guardians are often attacked easily while in the Darkness.

The task of the guardians of the various realms of the dead is to monitor everything that takes place in their realms. They are usually called on to decide cases if any dispute arises. They have to ensure that everything goes on the way that it should without any disturbances.

I hope that what you've read this far is enough to convince you that all this is true. This is not something I would lie to you about. You have to trust me and you have to learn how to perform magic. Learning to perform magic will take a lot of time and you must start as soon as you can. It is important that your father doesn't find out about it. He does have some amount of knowledge about supernatural beings. In Italy, vampires were found in plenty and from his interaction with the vampires that he has caught and killed, your father does know a lot about magic and the traveller and has come to hate them as well. If he finds out that you and your brother can both perform magic, he will not hesitate to kill you. He doesn't realize that magic is not always a bad thing.

There is a traveller in Atlanta by the name of Trish Samuels. She owns a store that sells the various ingredients that might be necessary in casting spells. She is well experienced in the task and will be able to teach you as well. Tell her that you are my son and she will understand exactly what you need to start with as I have already explained everything to her. If Stefan wishes to learn as well, you can teach him later. When you perform magic after you become a guardian, you will be drawing power from the universe directly. The universe is simply everything natural around you. All things on this realm and all others have power that can be accessed by guardians in them. Stones have very little power while plants have the most. The air around you itself has a lot of power. Drawing power from the universe is similar to drawing power from a talisman. Trish will explain this to you as well." Bonnie stopped reading when she felt Damon shifting closer to her. "What happened?" she asked.

"I need a break. Did you find anything interesting in the book?"

"I did actually."

Damon shifted to a more comfortable position. "Let's hear about it then", he said.

"From what I understood, there are a lot of secrets in this place. Turns out, not all the guardians are in the know. There's another realm called the Darkness and apparently you need to cross this realm in order to travel to or from the earth. It's also supposed to be the realm where the vilest of supernatural beings spend their time in penance before they can pass on to the Passage. But not all of them pass on; some of them found ways around their solitary confinement and they have been causing a lot of trouble for the guardians. They call themselves the Knights. There is a prophecy that there will arise a powerful guardian who will destroy them. But the only people who know exactly what the prophecy says are the members of the High Council."

"Does it really surprise you that the High Council keeps secrets from the other guardians?"

"Honestly? Yes, it does. The members of the High council are supposed to be equals. They are supposed to be elected representatives."

"So is our government. Do you think they don't keep secrets from the others in the country?" Bonnie shook her head. "This is exactly like that. This is politics on a much smaller scale but politics all the same."

"Alright then aren't you concerned about the fact that Andrew left out a major part of your duties as a guardian?"

"What are you talking about?"

"The Knights sometimes intercept souls on their way to the one of the intermediate realms. It's the duty of the guardian in charge of the Passage to retrieve these lost souls. That means you will have to deal with the Knights directly."

"That actually sounds like fun. The afterlife wouldn't be interesting enough if there wasn't some kind of fighting involved. Besides, I'm dead so I doubt I'll be in any danger. And to answer your question, it doesn't bother me that Andrew didn't mention this earlier. He did say that he would explain my duties once I managed to learn magic."

"Damon, you're not taking this seriously. From the way your mom describes these Knights, they seem like something you should be very worried about." She paused for a moment and took a calming breath. "How are you so calm about all of this anyway?"

"Well, that's because we can't afford to have both of us freaking out right now. At least one of has to keep an open mind. I would have loved to be the one freaking out but you beat me to it. Now, would you like to go back to being the voice of reason or is there something else that's bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine. I just don't like all the secrecy but I'm not going to freak out again."

"Good", Damon gave her a smile, "and about time too. Keeping a level head is just too hard", he said with a smirk. "Anything else I should know about?"

"The rest of what I read was about magic; about how to draw the power of the universe. It's supposed to be similar to drawing power from a talisman. Let's see what you can do with the ring."

"Not much", Damon answered. He set the ring down and got to work. Putting all his thoughts into making it float he positioned his hand over the ring and slowly as he lifted his hand higher, the ring rose higher. He was able to make it float mid-air for a few seconds before he let it drop, "That's all I can do. I can't get it to move anyway I want it to."

Bonnie smiled at him. "That's alright. This is really good. You're learning a lot faster than I expected you to. Maybe a little help might be just what you need right now. If drawing on the power of the universe is the same as working with a talisman, then the first step is to be conscious of it. Everything natural around you is part of the universe. The air is also a part of the universe and that's what you'll be drawing your power from. Once you've done that, you will feel the power within you swell. I can't explain how it feels but you'll know it when you feel it. Then you need to channel that power on the spell that you're trying to cast."

Damon tried to follow Bonnie's instructions. He tried to be conscious of the universe but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't feel anything. "I don't think it's working. I don't feel the power or anything."

"It takes time Damon. Just concentrate." With that Damon sat trying to draw the power of the universe, hoping that it would somehow work.

_AN: Hope you liked it. Please leave a review._


	5. The High Council

Damon sat with his eyes closed. Bonnie was leaning against the wall and watching the ring. Damon shut off his thoughts and concentrated on the air around him. For the first time he felt stationary air touching his skin. It was a strange sensation. He thought that it was possible to feel air only when there was a wind or a breeze. He figured that maybe he was doing something right. Other than that, he didn't feel anything different; he didn't feel any power in him. His mind slowly wandered off to the ring on the floor. He imagined it floating in the air and moving in a circle between them. He could hear Bonnie's sharp intake of air and he opened his eyes. To his surprise, he heard the ring fall to the floor. He looked up at Bonnie and asked, "Was it floating?"

"It wasn't just floating. It was moving in small circles in the air. You did it, Damon."

To say that Damon was surprised would have been an understatement. He once again focused his thoughts and felt the air around him. This time he kept his eyes open as he imagined and instructed the ring to float and it did. He mentally instructed the ring to move to the left and it did. He realized that he didn't need to signal with his hands, his thoughts were able to control the ring just fine. Bonnie watched mesmerized. "You're right", said Damon. "It works. I can perform magic here. As much as I hate to admit it, maybe there is some truth to what Andrew said."

"And I for one, am glad that you have finally come to accept the truth", said a voice from the far side of the room.

"Andrew, do you mind not sneaking up on us?" asked Damon.

"I didn't sneak up on you at all. I was here the whole time." At this, Damon shot him an irritated look. Andrew ignored this and continued, "You're doing a really good job, both of you. Now that you know how to perform magic it's simply a matter of how to perform different spells."

Damon was getting tired of this. He interrupted Andrew and asked, "Are you just here to comment on what we've been doing or are you actually going to give us some answers this time?"

"Damon, I understand your curiosity and I suppose I can't ask you to be patient any longer. Besides, it would help if you knew exactly what your duties are."

"Then tell us. Bonnie is just too polite to say anything but I can assure you, we've both had enough of this waiting game."

"Fair enough. I think it's time you meet the High Council then. Why don't you work on your magic a little more? You should try transportation spells. They will be the most important to you. In the meantime, I will let them know that you're ready and bring them here." Again, Andrew disappeared.

"He should really stop doing that", said Damon.

"Do you want to work on transportation spells?" asked Bonnie.

"Not particularly." He thought for a minute and then asked, "How different is a transportation spell from the one you just taught me?"

"The way you cast the spell is exactly the same since Andrew told us that you can use non-verbal spells to do anything. But transportation is usually more difficult because you need to move the object to a place that isn't right in front of you. If you don't do it right, you could end up sending it somewhere else. You could start by trying to move that ring from your hands to mine and then you could try moving it to place that you can't see."

"Transporting the ring would be a good start. But I meant transporting himself and other people to other realms." Damon and Bonnie turned around to source of the voice. It was Andrew again but this time he wasn't alone. He was joined by three women and two men, Damon guessed that these were the members of the High Council. "The Passage is in utter chaos right now", Andrew continued. "It would be best if you didn't use the doors until there are fewer people left." He paused for a minute but when neither Bonnie nor Damon spoke up, he cleared his throat and looked between the two and the five others who were with him. "I'm sure you've guessed but these are the members of the High Council. He gestured at a tall lady wearing what appeared to be a simple long gown. "That's Anya and she is the head of the High Council." He then pointed at the brunette wearing slightly more modern attire and said, "That's Tamar." Motioning to a short woman who had her hair tied up in a bun, he said, "And that's Jade. These two are Derek and Gideon." The two men wore suits similar to Andrew's but were significantly shorter than him.

When Anya saw that Andrew had completed the introductions, she said, "Welcome, Bonnie and Damon to the Passage. Usually we meet new guardians as soon as they step into this realm but given the circumstances we thought it would be best if you had some time to get used to the new reality before we got into the specifics of your task." She smiled gently at the two. "Bonnie, your grandmother is a truly amazing woman. She made a deal with us to get you back to earth. You will help Damon until he learns to perform magic on his own and learns everything he needs to learn. I know that you don't know about the realms but we still believe that you could be of great help to him. For this reason, we want you to stay here until he learns everything. He will be able to take you back to earth when he does this and that is why the terms of the agreement state that Damon must be the one who takes you back."

Gideon then spoke up. "Andrew has been keeping us updated about your progress and I must tell you that I am impressed. We've waited for over a century for you to join us. Time is of the essence, now more than ever. It is important that we waste no more time."

Jade interrupted him saying, "Indeed. Then shouldn't we move on to the reason why we're here instead of making long speeches. Once he knows the exact nature of his tasks, he could work on those spells that will be of most use first and after he starts with his duties, he can continue to work on his magic and learn about the other realms as well."

"I must say that I agree with Jade. That's why I brought you in now. I'm sure they are willing to listen to us now, aren't you Damon?" asked Andrew.

Bonnie nodded. "Let's just say that my interest is piqued", said Damon.

"Anya would you like to do the honours then?" asked Andrew.

Anya took a step forward towards Damon. "Damon Salvatore, you will be the guardian of the Passage and of the lost souls. I wish you well. May you carry out your duties to the best of your abilities. We have high hopes for you, Damon."

Damon didn't know what to say. The whole thing had taken him by surprise. He finally settled with a simple "Thank you."

Anya nodded, pleased. She then turned to the High Council once more. Gideon, Tamara, can you assess the damage done in Damon's realm?" The two guardians immediately left.

Derek spoke for the first time,"Andrew tells me that you've gotten an outline of what you're supposed to be doing here so let me just skip right to the specifics. You have to touch each person and find out which realms they can pass on to. Then, depending on how many people are already in each realm, you have to send the person to the least populated realm. No one can cross through a door that isn't meant for them so usually it's safe to transport them through the doors. But with the disintegration of the other side, there are a lot of people here and many of them will be able to pass through the same door. For this reason, we think you should transport them using magic and when the majority of the people have been taken care of, you can use the doors. Using the doors will be easier and faster but it's important to maintain the stability of the other realms." Just when Derek had finished, Gideon appeared back in the room. "There isn't a lot of damage in the Passage. It looks like everyone's tired. Not a lot of people are trying to get out through the doors. Of course, that will change when they see one of the doors open. There are a lot of people though. It's going to take a lot of time. I think one of us from the High Council should work here until Damon can take charge. Once Damon is ready, we could ensure that he knows exactly what he is supposed to do before he is left on his own." "Sounds like a good idea," said Derek. "I was in charge of the Passage for a while before I'm sure I can handle things here until Damon is ready. Andrew, you should also show him the realms behind each of the doors so he knows where he's supposed to transport them to."

"That can be arranged", replied Andrew. He then turned to Anya, "Is that all?"

"For now, it is", she replied.

"What about the Darkness?" Damon's question made everyone in the room other than Anya a little uncomfortable. "We read about it in Damon's mother's book", said Bonnie by way of explanation.

"I should have expected that", said Andrew still looking a little disturbed.

"We thought that it would be in your best interest if we didn't have to discuss your duties in the Darkness right now", said Anya. "But if you really want to know, we could tell you. Tamar is currently in the Darkness trying to find out the extent of the damage there."

"I want to know", said Damon. "I'm tired of the secrets. Besides, just because you don't tell me about the Darkness doesn't mean it will magically stop being my responsibility. You said it yourself that I am the guardian of the Passage and of the lost souls. I need to know."

Derek shot Anya a questioning look and she nodded. "Very well then, your duty in the Darkness is to look for lost souls and bring them to the Passage before the Knights convert them. I trust you know about the Knights?"

"A little. I'm sure my mother has explained the rest later in this book", said Damon.

"Then I think you can learn about them from the book", said Derek. "You needn't worry about the Darkness until things are under control in the Passage. I will warn you that battling the Knights will not be as easy as you think it will be. They too are dead so you will not be able to kill them just as they won't be able to kill you. These Knights were evil when they were on earth and trust me when I say that they aren't any different now that they are dead." Tamar appeared back in the room looking very flustered.

"I take it all is not well in the Darkness?" asked Anya.

"That would be an understatement", said Tamar. "There are a lot of lost souls in there and to add to it, quite a few of those who are supposed to be in the Darkness have joined the Knights. We have to sort it out now. Things have already gotten too far out of hand."

"She's right Anya", said Jade. "We've ignored the Darkness for too long waiting for the guardian that the prophecy talks about. It hasn't happened in all these years and for all we know it won't happen any time soon. We need to do something about it."

"We chose Damon to take up this position for a reason", said Gideon. "He's the only one who's ever been in a battle without the advantage of magic. While we wait for this 'powerful guardian' we need to do whatever we can to ensure that things are at least reasonably under control." He then turned to Damon and said, "For centuries now, the guardians who have been in charge of the Passage have all been too afraid to fight the Knights and for good reason. They are ruthless. We would like for you to try. You have fought vampires and werewolves on earth and since you did die as a vampire you will be able to match their strength as well. Are you willing to try?"

"I'm not going to be afraid of the Knights until they personally give me reason to be afraid of them", answered Damon.

"That's very brave, Damon but also foolish", said Tamar. "Your confidence might help you but it could also be your downfall. But I should warn you, you will see some familiar faces among the Knights."

"I can handle it", said Damon.

"Very well then", said Anya. "It's settled. Damon and Bonnie will continue to work on transportation and when we're sure that he can go it without any trouble, Andrew will take Damon to the other realms and then Derek will help him transport a few people to their afterlives. Tamar will then take him to the Darkness and teach him how to travel through it safely. He can then learn about the Darkness on his own as not much is known about it. When he has enough information, he can begin by retrieving the lost souls. Damon, I suggest you do your best to keep away from the Knights while you're there. Bonnie, you must assist Damon in his quest for wisdom as much as you can from the Passage. Are we all in agreement?" When everyone in the room nodded, she said, "That will be all then. You are all dismissed." Immediately all the other guardians left but Anya stayed behind.

Anya looked around as if to ensure that there was no one else in the room with them. She then turned to Bonnie and said, "I can't thank you enough for the help, Bonnie. I don't think we could have gotten Damon on board as fast without you. Your grandmother made the deal but it was your choice to believe and help."

"You're welcome", she said with a smile.

"I thought this meeting was over. Why are you still here?" asked Damon.

"I'm still here because I want to tell you about the Knights. You don't know enough about them and yet you have agreed to take on this responsibility. I don't want you to underestimate them and end up getting caught."

"I'll be careful when I go out there. Is that what you wanted to hear me say?"

"Yes, but I also wish you had meant it", replied Anya. "The Knights are much older than you are. They've spent centuries in the Darkness but they can't see. When one of the senses is cut off, the others are usually heightened. It's this fact that they use to their advantage. They can't see you but they can hear you and feel you. I think it's mostly the sense of hearing that helps them. When Tamar takes you to the Darkness find out as much as you can about the Knights but whatever you do, don't try to pick a fight with them. Part of Andrew's task was to watch over you while you were still on earth and he tells me that avoiding trouble isn't your first instinct but this time you must. It's been a very long time since anyone tried to find out about the Knights and so we don't know how much they've progressed. We've been waiting for the guardian that the prophecy spoke of but Jade is right, we cannot remain idle any longer."

"I know it isn't my place to ask but out of curiosity, what does the prophecy say?" asked Bonnie.

"I can't tell either of you the exact words of the prophecy but it says that a guardian will defeat the Knights and bring them to justice. The guardian is supposed to extremely powerful and it's supposed to become apparent within weeks of the guardian undertaking his duties. So far I haven't seen anyone distinguish themselves in such a manner. But I believe that it will come to pass one day. Do you have any more questions?" Bonnie and Damon indicated that they had none. "Then I best be on my way. Good luck, Damon. You'll need it." Then, Anya also left the room.

_AN: I hope you have enjoyed the story until now. The story will pick up pace in the next few chapters. Oh and please leave a review. I would really like to hear what you think._


	6. Duty Calls

_AN:_ _Sorry I took so long to upload this next chapter. I just couldn't get it to sound right. I've done the best I could and I hope you like it. And don't forget to leave a review._

After many hours of complaining and practicing, Damon was finally able transport both himself and Bonnie from the room to the Passage at the same time. "You're a faster learner than I thought you would be", said Bonnie. Damon was pleased with himself. "Now if anyone get too annoying I can just transport them somewhere else", Damon said with a big grin. "For a couple of dead people, we did a good job. We make a good team." He then paused for a minute and then said, "Dying has made me go soft, hasn't it?"

Bonnie laughed. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone when we get back to earth. I'll tell them that you were perfectly horrid and it was all I could do not to try to kill you."

Damon found himself going along with the mindless and friendly banter. "Even if you did try to kill me, it wouldn't matter. I'm already dead – like white light dead. So you can't really kill me."

"That doesn't mean I can't try." After some hesitation, Bonnie asked him, "Damon, don't you think you might have agreed too soon to deal with the Knights? Everyone seems to be worried about them and you're willing to take them on without second thought."

"You know I've been dead for almost a century and a half now. But in all this time whenever we fought some evil maniac, there was still a chance that we could die one last time. But now, I don't have to worry about that. I know that I can't kill the Knights but they can't kill me either. There is no real threat here."

"There are things much worse than death. You of all people should know that."

"Well, yes, five years in the Augustine prison thought me that. The reason why it was so bad was because I was truly trapped. If the Knights manage to catch me, I could just transport out of the Darkness."

"I think the rules for travelling in the Darkness are different."

"I don't intend to try to run in the Darkness. I would just transport myself back to the Passage. The Knights can't perform magic so they won't be able to follow me here."

"Just be careful, Damon."

"What is it about this place that makes everyone worry so much?"

"It's the evil that lives there", said Andrew, appearing in the room once again and answering Damon's question. "I see you're ready. So let's go take a look at the other realms and then I'll take you to Derek." "That's the plan", said Damon. "Bonnie, would you like to stay here in this room or do you want to go back to the Passage?"

"How long will it take for you to explore the realms?" she asked.

"It shouldn't take too long. I just intend to show him one spot in each realm. That way he will be able to transport others to that spot and they'll be able to find their way from there. He can take a look at the rest of the realm later when he has the time", answered Andrew.

"Actually, just take me back to the Passage. I'm sure no one would mind a girl reading a book there. They might think I'm crazy but I doubt if they'll bother me."

"I'll ask Derek to keep an eye on you, just in case", said Andrew. The three of them then walked out the door and into the Passage. "I guess I'll see you later then", said Damon to Bonnie. "Yeah, I'll make sure that I don't stray too far", replied Bonnie. Then the company split up. Leaving Bonnie alone, Damon and Andrew first went to Derek and gave him the update. They also told him that Bonnie had chosen to stay in the Passage and not the room. After that, they once again left and Andrew took Damon to all the realms of the dead – those belonging to the supernatural and the humans as well. Some realms were filled with beautiful gardens while other held cities with high tech buildings. When they reached a realm that had a forest with large trees and exotic plants, Damon stopped Andrew and asked, "How come all these realms are pleasant? If the dead are to be transported to different realms depending on their actions, should some of them be sent to realms that aren't this beautiful?"

"I understand how that might confuse you", answered Andrew. "The universe doesn't punish people forever. Those who have spent their lives committing evil crimes are sent to the Darkness, when they repent they are sent to their afterlife. Once a person admits their faults and pays for their deeds, they no longer need to be punished. The Darkness is all we need." When Damon looked satisfied with the answer, they again started travelling through the various realms. After what felt like days, they arrived at the Golden Pathway. "This is our last stop", said Andrew. The Golden Pathway looked a lot like the Passage. The only difference was that it was almost empty. There were only three people there. Two of them, a young woman and a child were holding hands as the third person, a short petite brunette woman opened a door and let the other two pass through. He guessed the brunette was the guardian in charge of the Golden Pathway. Once she had sent the two of them to the realm, she turned around and noticed Damon and Andrew standing in her realm. In a flash, she was with them. "Andrew, what brings you here?"

"Cecelia, I'd like you to meet Damon. He will be the guardian of the Passage and of the lost souls", said Andrew.

Cecelia extended her arm to Damon and said, "Please call me Cece. My mother was old fashioned but the name doesn't fit in the 21st century." "Nice to meet you, Cece", said Damon as he shook her hand.

"Cecelia came to us at the same time you did. But she knew about her guardian destiny so she was able to take charge immediately", said Andrew. "The reason why I brought you to meet her is because she has volunteered to help you out in the Darkness in case you ever need it."

"The guardians seem to think of the Knights as the greatest evil that ever existed and that doesn't bother you?" Damon asked Cece.

"It doesn't bother me in the least. I've fought vampires without using magic before so, I could be your back up if you need me."

"I just might take you up on that offer." Damon gave her a friendly smile.

"I guess, we best be on our way then", said Andrew. "It was nice seeing you again, Cecelia."

"You too, Andrew." Then, Damon and Andrew went back to the Passage to meet Derek.

-xx-

After Andrew and Damon left, Bonnie started to wander through the Passage looking for familiar faces. She saw some of the people who had passed through her when she was the anchor. She smiled at the occasional friendly witch. After what felt like hours, she was about to give up and go back to reading the book. Just then, to her complete surprise, she saw Jenna talking to Logan Fell. She immediately walked to them and called out to Jenna. On seeing Bonnie, Jenna's first instinct was to hug her. After she finally let Bonnie go, Jenna asked, "What are you doing here? I thought this is where the dead people got together." It took her a minute to understand. "You're dead?"

"I've died twice now", said Bonnie. "Given the number of dead supernatural beings that I know I'm surprised it took me this long to find anyone I know."

"So you haven't seen anyone else you know?" asked Logan.

"Actually, we ran into Lexi a long time back. She was a friend of Stefan's. I haven't seen anyone else."

"Wait a minute. We? Who's we?" asked Jenna.

"Damon and I came here together when the other side collapsed."

"The other side is gone? Is that why there are so many people here now?" asked Jenna.

"That's my cue to leave. Give her any more information and she's going to start going hysterical", said Logan and then left.

"I'm not going hysterical. Tell me what happened?" Jenna asked Bonnie.

"After you found peace, Alaric died and then a few months after that, Jeremy died. When I tried to bring him back to life, I died and then I was brought back to life as the anchor. So when the other side collapsed, I died too. But before that happened, Stefan died and so Damon came up with a plan to rescue everyone from the other side. Everything went well and we were able to get Stefan, Alaric, Elena and Tyler back but before I could send Damon back, the spell was stopped so he was trapped on the other side until it collapsed."

"So everyone's alive except you and Damon?"

"I think we're the only dead supernatural beings you know. Carol Lockwood is dead and so is my dad."

"Are you looking for them?"

"They both died as humans so they aren't here. They are in another intermediate realm just like this one or they have already passed on to their afterlives."

"How do you know all this?" asked Jenna. "On second thought, don't tell me. I don't want to know any more."

"It will be fine, Jenna. Everything's under control now – for the most part anyway."

"Where's Damon? I thought you came here with him."

"He has some things to do here. He's supposed to be a guardian." As she was speaking, she caught sight of Derek coming towards her. He stopped in front of her and said, "It's her turn." Bonnie turned back to Jenna and said, "Jenna, this is Derek. He's a guardian and he's going to take you to your afterlife."

"What are you talking about?" asked Jenna.

"Jenna, this will only take a minute but you'll move on from this place to somewhere better – somewhere happier – where you can spend the rest of eternity." He stretched out his hand to her and said, "Take my hand." Jenna obeyed and in a matter of seconds, she was gone. He turned back to Bonnie. "I'm sorry I had to interrupt your reunion but Jenna has been in here for a very long time. Most people spend centuries on the other side unable to find peace but Jenna did it. She deserved to find peace."

"I know. I understand", said Bonnie. "I should probably let you get on with your job." Derek nodded and left, looking for the next person he had to send to the afterlife. Bonnie then walked back to the door to the room where she and Damon had spent most of their time since coming to the Passage. She sat with her back to the door and opened the book and began reading it. She flipped through the pages looking for any mentions of the Knights or the Darkness. She founded a passage somewhere in the middle that said, "The Darkness is a unique realm for magic doesn't work there. Guardians can see in the realm but it's similar to carrying a candle. You will not be able to see far ahead. Also the inhabitants of the realm will not be able to see by this light. The guardians are yet to understand why they are able to see the realm while others cannot. As a result of this, if a guardian is forced to face a Knight, he must fight with his strength alone. Despite the advantage of sight, they were often over powered by the Knights. For this reason, the guardians avoid the Darkness as much as possible. As you may have guessed, travelling to the realm is different than travelling to all other realms. The Darkness can be accessed from the earth, the Golden Pathway and the Passage by means of portals. There are three portals in the Darkness each one leading to one of the three realms that it leads to. Once you enter the portal, opening the door is exactly like opening any other door in the Passage. Just like in the Passage and Golden Pathway, only a guardian will be able to do this. The door will open into a passage that will directly take you to the corresponding realm. At the end of the passage will be another door which will open to either the head of the Golden Pathway or the Passage or to a small room on earth which has doors leading to each of the seven continents. Teleportation is not possible out of this room but you can travel into it by magic or using one of the doors." Bonnie was pleased with herself. She had found the way back to earth but it worried her that she would have to travel through the Darkness. She decided that she would take up the topic with Damon the next time she saw him.

-xx-

After his whirlwind trip through the realms, Damon arrived back at the Passage with Andrew. Immediately they spotted Derek and Andrew called out to him. "Ready to send someone to the afterlife?" asked Derek. "I think so", said Damon. Derek nodded. "There's someone here who has been eagerly waiting to see you again", said Andrew with a twinkle in his eyes. "I don't think I know anyone here who would actually want to see me", said Damon. "Then, let's call this a little surprise", said Derek and then Andrew transported them to a different part of the Passage. Damon immediately noticed Bonnie sitting by the door with the book in her hand. When she saw the group arrive, she got up and joined them. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"There's someone here who wants to see Damon", replied Derek. "Can you see her yet?" he asked Damon. "I see she has already spotted you", add Andrew with a chuckle.

Damon's eyes quickly scanned the area and he finally a saw a tall and slender woman looking back at him. Damon was lost for words. He simply couldn't believe his eyes. It made sense that she would be here but not even in his wildest dreams did he think that he would actually be able to see her again. "We thought it would be great idea for your mother to be the first person you send to the afterlife and before you ask, yes you can see her if you so wish after she moves on." Damon still stood rooted to the ground. The woman stepped forward and smiling at him, she said, "I knew you would find your way here. The Council has been really kind to me. They kept me informed of your progress. I know you lost your way while you were on earth for a while but I'm glad you and your brother were able to sort out your differences eventually. I really am proud of you, Damon." Damon didn't know what to do or say. Derek cut into his thoughts, "Damon, we really need to move this along. You can spend more time with your mother later if you want to but right now you have to send her to the afterlife." Damon nodded and then concentrated on the doors asking the universe to reveal only those which his mother could move on to and slowly, some of the doors along the corridor started to disappear. He soon found the world with the least population. It was right behind the second door to his left and he knew that it lead to the banks of a crystal clear river. He took his mother's hands in his and thought of the realm and took them there. When he looked up, he saw the river flowing to his left. They were standing on thick grass and the trees nearby were all coated with moss. He knew they were in the right place. Damon took a step back and said, "We're here", in awe. His mother looked around the realm and smiled gently at him. "I knew you would be able to do it. As much as I would like for you to stay, you have to leave now. I know that the guardians would like you to try and bring some amount of order in the Darkness."

Damon sighed. "That's what they told me too. Tamar will be taking me there."

"Just be careful and know that I love you."

"I love you too", said Damon and hugged her one last time before going back to the Passage.

Bonnie, Derek and Andrew were waiting for him there. Derek spoke up, "Congratulations, Damon. You now know how to carry out your task." No sooner had he said this, Tamar appear next to Andrew saying, "It's about time. What do you say we go explore the Darkness?" She held out her hand for Damon and when he took it, she transported them to the portal in the Darkness.


	7. The Darkness

Tamar swung open the door in front of them and they were confronted by the Darkness. True to its name, it was really dark. As much as Damon strained to see, he could see absolutely nothing beyond the door. Tamar stepped through the door but Damon hesitated. She turned back to him and said, "You will be able to see once you step through the door. Magic doesn't work here but being able to see here is one of the perks of being a guardian just like being able to unlock doors in the Golden Pathway and the Passage." Damon didn't want to trust Tamar but right then, he didn't have a choice and so he stepped through the door and found out that Tamar was right, he could see. But it was different because he couldn't see too far ahead. He figured he could see about two feet in front of him. "This is hardly being able to see", he told Tamar. "But it's better than nothing", she replied. "The Knights can't see the light. It's completely dark as far as they are concerned which is why this is an advantage." "An advantage the guardians haven't been able to make the most out of", completed Damon. Tamar tried to explain the reason behind that. "The Knights have spent a lot of time here while we guardians have been avoiding it. Some of these Knights are probably as old as Anya is which means most of us guardians are centuries younger making us inexperienced. They can tell if someone is near them from sounds so whatever you do keep quiet. We can't tell if they're near us before they can tell that we're near them."

Having spent the last century and a half as a vampire, Damon had no trouble keep quiet. He experimentally strained his ears but he couldn't hear a thing. He wondered if his vampire hearing would help him here which made him wonder if any of the other advantages that he had gained when he turned worked in the afterlife. He was about see how fast he could move but then he remembered where he was and decided he would test that elsewhere. He kept his eyes and ears open and followed Tamar. It wasn't long before Damon heard whispers. He laid a hand on Tamar's shoulder to get her to stop. She turned around to face him again and gave him a questioning look to which he simply pointed to their right. He started slowly towards his right towards the source of the whispers. Soon, he saw a man standing with his hands out before him and walking slowly forward. He seemed to be mumbling something under his breath. Tamar stepped in front of Damon and tapped the man on his shoulder. Panicking, he turned around and swung his arms around wildly thinking that he was being threatened. "Clearly a lost soul", said Tamar under her breath. Damon simply nodded. "Sir, you need to relax. We're going to get you out of here", said Tamar. The man was still trying to fight Tamar off. Damon stepped behind the man and pulled him away, pinning both his hands behind his back. "I suggest you listen to what the lady has to say", he said.

"Damon! There's no need to use any violence on the good guys", Tamar admonished.

"I got his attention, didn't I?"

"The ends don't justify the means." Damon let the man go and Tamar spoke to him. "Sir, despite my friend's behaviour, we are here to help you. We can get you out of here."

"How?" the man asked. "The last time someone promised to get me somewhere I ended up here. How do I know you're not going to leave me somewhere to rot?"

"We're guardians", replied Tamar. "I know that that doesn't mean anything to you but you have to believe us. It's your only shot at getting out of here. We help people move on to their afterlives."

"Can't we just haul this guy's ass back to the portal and send him on to where ever he's supposed to go to?" asked Damon.

"No, we can't", said Tamar sternly. "You lead a violent life on earth. I can't believe you're itching for a fight after that."

"Maybe that's why he's itching for a fight", the man said. "I've seen it with hunters. Even in the little time they spend away from vampires, they're just dying to start a fight." Damon relaxed his hold on the man. "I was a witch on earth. I've met the original five so I know what I'm talking about."

"And so do we", Tamar interrupted the man. "You have to come with us if you want to get out of here."

"Besides, what do you have to lose?" asked Damon. The man shrugged. "I guess you're right." Damon put his hand on the man's shoulder and steered him on with Tamar leading the way. Soon they were at the door and Tamar said, "The one on the left leads to the Passage and the one on the right to the Golden Pathway." She didn't want to mention that there was a way to earth when the man was with them. Damon would be able to figure that out on his own. Damon unlocked the door on the left and stepped through the door along with the man who exclaimed, "I can see again!" "Yeah. It's a Christmas miracle", Damon snarked. "Keep walking", Tamar told them. Soon they came to another door. When Damon opened this one, he saw that they were at the Passage once more. "Send him on, Damon", said Tamar. Damon turned back to the man and concentrated on finding his afterlife. He stretched his hand out to the man and said, "Take my hand". The man looked hesitant but he obeyed. In a flash, they were standing at the foot hills of a mountain. The man looked up at the sun and smiled. After spending so many years in the Darkness, the sun felt great on his skin. He turned to Damon and said, "Thank you". Damon smiled and then made his way back to the Passage to where Tamar was waiting for him.

"I'm afraid that trip got cut too short. But maybe it's for the best. We are running short of time. But be careful. You most definitely don't want to run into a Knight. I think it's safe to assume that you still have your vampire perks if you could hear that man from that distance. Listen in to what they are talking before you transport any of them. We don't want the Knights wreaking havoc on other realms as well. If for any reason you do interact with one of the Knights, make sure you leave them in there."

"How would I know if a person is stuck there and not because the universe wants them there?"

"If you touch someone who's supposed to spend more time in the Darkness, including the Knights, you'll feel your skin burn where you are in contact with them. You can still feel pain as long as you're in the Darkness or one of the intermediate realms."

"That's the answer to destroying the Knights, isn't it? They can feel pain in the Darkness too so torturing them should work."

"It might but no one has gotten close enough to capturing a Knight to know that." She looked at Damon intently. "Don't mess with the Knights unless you have to, Damon."

Damon nodded. "There's something I wanted to test."

"What's that?"

"I want to know for sure if I still have the vampire upgrade."

"And how do you suppose you're going to do that?"

"Go back to where we met Bonnie and the others. I'll meet you there and I won't use magic." Tamar looked confused but she agreed. As soon as Tamar left Damon made a mad dash to the meeting point and to his delight, he was there in less than five seconds. "Vampire speed still works", Damon said with a grin when he saw Tamar standing next Bonnie. Derek appeared next to them immediately. "Glad to see you're back in one piece", he said. "So what's it going to be Damon? Do you want to go back to the Darkness for a while and I'll hold the fort down here or do you want to bring some order around here first?"

"I think I would like to spend some more time in the Darkness if you can stick around here", said Damon. "I think that would be for the best", chimed in Tamar. "That way he'll get used to the Darkness as well."

"Can I ask you guys something?" Bonnie spoke up for the first time.

"Sure you can", said Derek.

"I was reading through Damon's mom's book and I'm not done yet but when I was looking for things about the Darkness, I found out how to get back to earth. So I was wondering if I can leave now. You said Damon could come there if he wanted to so instead of meeting me in the room there, he could meet me on earth and I could tell him what I find out and help him practice magic some more."

Derek and Tamar looked at each other. "She has a point. She can do whatever she has to from earth", said Damon. He would love to have an excuse to go back to earth.

"I guess there's no harm in that. But this is something we can't decide on our own. We'll talk to the rest of the council and we'll let you know. In the meantime Damon, stay here with Bonnie. We'll be back in a few minutes", said Tamar. Then, the other two guardians left Bonnie and Damon standing alone.

Bonnie turned to Damon and said, "There's a portal in the Darkness that leads to earth. I know that you went there with Tamar so you know how to travel in there. We just have to find the one that leads to earth."

"I already know where the portal is. The three portals are doors placed next to each other in the Darkness. I saw it when I was there. It has to be the middle door. She told me that the left and right doors led me to the Passage and the Golden Pathway."

"I just hope the High Council agrees to this. I really want to go back there and see everyone again."

"So do I", said Damon. He was distracted by a young girl standing a few feet from them, looking lost. The girl couldn't have been more than 10 years old. "Hold on a minute", he said to Bonnie and walked to the little girl and knelt in front of her. "What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked her.

"Where am I?" asked the little girl, looking nervously around.

Bonnie knelt next to Damon and said, "You're in a place called the Passage."

"Am I dead? I thought I had died."

Damon nodded. "You did die. We're both dead too but the good news is you don't have to stay here for long; you get to go somewhere nice. It's going to be like a long vacation." Damon then concentrated on the doors and figured out where she had to go to and transported them there. They were standing in the middle of a rose garden. An elderly woman was standing under a tree in the garden. When she saw the two of them appear she walked towards them. "You are a guardian, aren't you?" she asked Damon. "I am", he said. "I just wanted to bring her here. This is her afterlife too." The woman turned to the girl and asked her, "What's your name?" "I'm Ann", said the little girl. "Well, Ann, this is where you're going to be taking that long vacation I told you about", said Damon. "I want you to go with this nice lady, alright?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically. "Good girl", he said and got up to leave. "What's your name?" asked the woman. "You must be new here." "I'm Damon", he said. "Thank you for bringing her here, Damon", said the woman. The little girl waved and said, "Goodbye, Damon" and then Damon headed back to the Passage to where Bonnie was waiting for him.

"That was a really nice thing to do. Who knew dying would turn you into such a softie?" asked Bonnie. Before Damon could come up with a retort, Derek appeared next to them, making Bonnie jump. Without any introduction, Derek spoke, "The High Council agrees with the both of you. You can go back to earth, Bonnie. You have to continue to help Damon though. It was the deal that your grandmother made with us."

Too say that Bonnie was elated was an understatement. "Thank you so much, Derek", said Bonnie.

"Damon, why don't you take Bonnie back home and then you can continue on with the Darkness and I'll be here for a little while longer."

"Thanks, Derek", Damon said. "I'll see you then." Then, Damon took Bonnie's hand in his and took her to the portal. He opened the door and stepped through it and motioned for Bonnie to follow. As soon as she stepped into the Darkness she said, "I can't see a thing." "And that's why it's called the Darkness" said Damon. Just then, he heard something. He turned to Bonnie and said, "Whatever you do, don't make a sound." Bonnie nodded. Damon listened carefully. He would recognize that voice no matter where he heard it. He was sure it was her. There was not a doubt in his mind. He was listening to Katherine Pierce talking to another man.

"Some Knight you are", he heard her say. "So many people passed on and you couldn't get hold of one soul."

"I got hold of many souls", the man said.

"But not the one we needed", Katherine cut in. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was angry. He wasn't all that surprised when he realised that Katherine was now a Knight. It actually made perfect sense to him. "You really are useless. Anyway, it doesn't matter. Now that the other side is gone, the guardians must be fully staffed. It won't be long before one of them gets down here."

Damon had heard enough. He took Bonnie's hand and pulled her towards the middle door and opening it, he stepped in with her. In a minute, Bonnie's eyes adjusted to the light and she asked, "What was that about?" "Katherine is a Knight now", said Damon. "I heard her talking to another one of them. They're trying to capture a guardian." Damon and Bonnie walked along until the came to the other end of the passage and Damon opened the door. This time they were in a room with a set of doors just like Damon's mother had mentioned in the book. "Transportation's going to be easier", said Damon as he took Bonnie's hand and transported both of them to the Whitmore campus.

-xx-

Katherine Pierce was seething. She had hatched the perfect plan to overthrow the guardians and give the Knights a chance at a better life. The older Knights were well accustomed to the Darkness but Katherine wasn't. The only reason that the Knights had taken her as a part of their ranks was because of this plan. It was a shame that her hearing was now as dull as a human's but with every minute she spent in the Darkness, she was getting better at it. That was how she had heard the faint sounds of feet and doors opening or closing while she was talking to Patrick. If Patrick had heard it, he gave no such indication. She slowly began walking towards the direction she thought she had heard the noise from. She held her hand out in front of her and she was surprised when her fingers touched wood. She lowered her hands feeling the wooden panel and she reached what she figured was a door knob. She tried to twist is but it didn't open. She guessed that this was how the guardians travelled between the Darkness and their realm. If she was right, it meant that one of them was in the Darkness or maybe had just left the Darkness. She was glad that her sense of direction was much better now. She knew that she would be able to get back here if she needed to. As she thought about the mysterious door and the guardians a new and brilliant plan formed in her mind. She decided that the best way to catch a guardian was to go to their realm and now all she had to do was wait a little ways off for one of them to turn up here. She was sure that one of them would come there soon and she would wait even if it took her years to get an opportunity. Katherine had the time. She had plenty of time.

_AN: I needed a villain and I figured we didn't need a new character when we had Katherine Pierce. She's can be pure evil so I'm sure she's going to be a lot of fun to write. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and tell me what you think._


	8. Back Home

Damon and Bonnie stood outside the gates of Whitmore College. It felt like it had been ages since either of them had seen the place. Needless to say, it felt great to be back on earth. Damon had been convinced that he would never see all of this again. It wasn't Mystic Falls but it still felt like home. For as long as he'd been in the afterlife, he couldn't wait to get back here but now that he was actually dreading meeting the people he loved. "How long do you think it has been?" asked Bonnie, breaking Damon's thoughts. "Do you think Caroline and Elena are still in college?"

"Why don't you go on in and find out?"

"Aren't you coming?"

"I will join in a while. I think I'll give you the chance to catch up with Elena and Caroline first and I'll get some earthly essentials in the meantime."

"Damon, don't do that. You know Elena would want to see-"

"I know. I know. I want to see her too."

"Then come on", said Bonnie as she took Damon's hand and pulled him forward and into the campus. Damon was still nervous but he followed. They headed to the office rooms of the college and Bonnie went straight to the receptionist. "My friends Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert are students here and they're staying on campus. Can you please tell me which room I can find them in? I was really hoping I could surprise them."

"Let me look that up for you. You have to make an entry in the visitor's log", said the friendly receptionist and Damon grabbed the pen and wrote down his name and Bonnie's. "They're in room 21c", she said. Bonnie said her thanks and turned back to Damon. "They're in the second block", she said.

"It's been a year since we died."

"How do you know?"

"While you were talking to the receptionist, I saw the date on the visitor's log."

"I can't believe it's been that long", she said. "Suddenly, I'm worried about seeing everyone again."

"That makes two of us", Damon said under his breath. The two silently made their way to the second block and went up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, sat Elena with someone who was probably her classmate laughing together, reading an article in a magazine that she was holding. "Elena?" Bonnie hesitantly called out. Elena looked up and her face froze in an expression of complete shock. It took her a few seconds to realise what was actually happening. Her shock then turned to joy as she made her way down the stairs, "Bonnie, you're alive!" she said. "I can't believe you're actually here." She gave Bonnie a big hug. "I missed you so much and Caroline is going to throw a huge party when she sees you here", she said.

"What's going on down there?" Bonnie heard Caroline's voice ask. She sounded a little annoyed. "I'm trying to study here. I have a mid-term tomorrow!" It was only then she noticed Bonnie standing with Elena's arms wrapped around her. "Bonnie!" she cried out and ran to her and hugged her. She took a step back and then asked, "How did you get here? We thought you were dead."

"I was dead. It's a long story", she said.

"Wait a minute. Where's Damon?" asked Elena.

"He was right-". Bonnie turned around to where Damon was standing but he wasn't there. "He was here just a minute ago." She turned around and went back down calling for Damon but she didn't get a reply.

The boy with whom Elena was talking was still standing at the top of the stairs looking extremely confused. When Elena noticed this, she led Bonnie up the stairs with Caroline following close behind. "Bonnie, I'd like you to meet Scott. We're in the same Advanced Chemistry class. Scott, this is Bonnie. She's the friend I've told you about."

"The anchor?" asked Scott. Bonnie was taken by surprise. "You told him everything", she asked Elena but it was Scott who answered. "She didn't have to tell me a lot. I'm witch. Well, I was a witch and now I'm a mere mortal."

Bonnie looked between Elena and Scott and asked the obvious question. "Are the two of you together?" Elena looked uncomfortable. She didn't know what to say. It had been a year since Damon and Bonnie had died and Caroline had been trying to get her to move on. During the first six or seven months, Elena had had no will to live. The only reason she survived was because Caroline refused to give up on her and did everything possible to make sure that she was alive and fed. Then she had met Scott and for the first time since Damon had passed, she felt as if things would get better. It was only in the last couple of weeks that she had let him get closer to her. So, in a manner of speaking, they were together. But now with Bonnie standing in front of her and knowing that Damon was back even if she hadn't seen him yet, she wasn't sure. Caroline had wanted her to move on and for a while she had but with Damon back, everything had changed and now she didn't know how to answer Bonnie's question.

-xx-

When Damon saw Elena and her friend at the top of the stairs, the message had been clear to him. He told himself that it made sense. He had been gone for a year so he couldn't be mad at Elena for having moved on. Before he had found out about coming back to earth, he had wanted her to move on and he told himself that he was happy for her. Whatever it maybe, the fact of the matter was that Damon did not want to be a part of a love triangle again. Besides, he wasn't going to be spending a lot of time on earth. So, he decided and foolishly so that it didn't matter.

He didn't want to think about Elena so instead he directed his thoughts to Stefan. He wondered where he was staying. Mystic Falls was out so he was probably staying somewhere near Whitmore. He would want to be somewhere close to his friends. He wondered if Stefan had maybe taken up classes here. He walked aimlessly as his thoughts wandered and he found himself at the boys' dorm. He idly walked up the stairs just like he had a few minutes ago in the girls' dorm. He reached the first floor and standing by the stairs, he sighed. He felt miserable. He was thinking of Elena again. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he caught sight of a tall figure standing with his back to Damon. He would recognise that grey hoodie anywhere. His brother never really wore any colours and neither did he. He walked up to him quietly and laid a hand on his shoulder.

Stefan turned around and to his surprise he stood toe to toe and face to face with his brother. "Damon?" he asked. "No, it's Santa", said Damon with a sneer. "Well, of course it's me!" Stefan was lost for words. "I thought you were dead", he stammered. "So are you, Stefan. I think it's time we get over it." Damon was so glad to see his brother again. He had missed teasing him and annoying him. He decided it was worth coming back to earth, just for Stefan. Stefan pulled his brother in a hug. Damon thought he could probably do without the public display but he didn't say anything and just hugged back.

When Damon finally pulled away from his brother, Stefan asked, "How did you get here and where's Bonnie?"

"The first one has a really long answer and as for the second question, Bonnie's talking to Caroline and Elena. I thought they should have some time together first. I just went wandering around the campus and ran into you."

"Have you spoken to Elena yet?" Stefan queried.

"Nope. I'll get to that soon. Well, I should get to that soon because I have to leave soon."

"What are you talking about? Why do you have to leave?"

"It's a long story."

"Then I suggest you start talking."

"Just call the girls and we can get together so Bonnie and I don't have to repeat the whole story a million times." Stefan nodded and taking out his phone, he called Caroline and asked them to meet her at the Whitmore library. When he ended the call, he said to Damon, "Elena just spoke to Jeremy. He's on his way here from Mystic Falls with Tyler and Matt." "Great. The entire Scooby gang can now reunite", finished Damon.

The two brothers headed to the library and saw the three girls sitting at the table with Scott. Damon and Stefan sat at the empty chairs. Caroline was the first to speak up, "Damon, that's Scott. He's in the same Advanced Chemistry class as Elena and I." Damon extended his hand to Scott saying, "Nice to meet you, Scott. I'm Damon Salvatore." "The pleasure is mine", said the boy. "I've heard a lot about you from Stefan and Elena." Damon smiled at Scott and turned his attention back to Stefan making sure to avoid any kind of eye contact with Elena. "So what do you want to know?"

"Everything!" said Caroline. "What happened after you guys died? Where were you? Why did it take you so long to get back here? Are all the dead people back?" Stefan cut in asking, "And why do you have to leave soon?" looking directly at Damon. Caroline was puzzled but it was Elena who voiced her thoughts, "Are you really leaving?" Damon looked positively uncomfortable so Bonnie decided to help him out. "Damon's a guardian", she said. Damon took out the book from his pocket and placed it on the table and said, "This is a book that our mother left for me. It explains everything." Then Damon and Bonnie continued to explain the entire situation to the others. They listened with Caroline interrupting every now and then with a million questions.

When the two finished the narration, Elena said, "I can't believe it." "Well, you should. I'm sure they'll be airing a special on Ripley's Believe it or Not for this", Damon retorted. Elena still looked unconvinced. Damon decided a little demonstration might help. He concentrated for a minute and he held out his hand and on it appeared a green diary. Elena looked at him in disbelief. "Is that my journal?" she asked. "I don't know. Let's find out shall we?" Damon flipped to a random entry and began reading, "Dear diary, I know I've neglected you for so long. But things have been terrible and I just-"but Elena quickly came up beside him and took the journal out of his hands. "Damon, that's personal", she admonished. Damon simply smirked at her.

"Since when did you know how to do that?" asked Bonnie.

"Beginner's luck", Damon responded.

"He must be getting more powerful. Magic is all about practice", said Scott. Damon looked thoughtful before he said, "Sounds about right." He then noticed Stefan flipping through the pages of their mother's book. "What is it?" Damon asked him.

"It's just that I've seen this book before. I was about to read it back in the 1950s but I saw the letter addressed to you and decided against it. I never imagined the book was about life after death."

"What were you doing in my room back in the 1950s?" Damon shot back. But before Stefan could answer, Caroline asked, "Why does that even matter?" Damon had to admit it didn't matter but he couldn't help but ask. He didn't like the idea of people going through his things in his absence. "I hope none of you touched my stuff while I was gone", he said out loud. "What stuff?" asked Elena. "All your things are in Mystic Falls and we can't actually go there, remember?" Stefan continued Elena's line of thought, "No one's been at the boarding house since we left. Tyler, Jeremy and Matt have been staying at the Lockwood mansion and they make sure that no curious townsfolk enter the abandoned Salvatore boarding house."

Damon was satisfied with the answer. "What about all the weapons we got from Ric's loft?"

"They're with Alaric now. He's staying in an apartment not too far from here", said Caroline.

"Great! I'll go see him and see if he can spare a stake or two."

"Like you needed a reason to go see your best friend", quipped Bonnie. "What do you need the stakes for anyway?"

"As it turns out, you can feel pain in the Darkness. I'm guessing that's the way to defeat the Knights."

"Are you actually considering fighting these Knights?" asked Stefan. "From what you two have told us, they seem pretty dangerous."

"They are dangerous. Tamar warned me a million times not to do something stupid so I won't. The stakes are just a precaution. It should help me slow them down if I ever run into one of them." Damon then got up and asked Stefan, "Would you mind showing me the way to Ric's?" "Sure", said Stefan and then he got up and placed a kiss on Caroline's forehead and motioned for Damon to follow him. Damon looked curiously between Stefan and Caroline but decided against saying anything and just left.

Bonnie hadn't missed the exchange either. As soon as she was sure that the Salvatores were out of earshot, she turned to Caroline and said, "I want details." Caroline visibly turned a few shades brighter and Elena jumped in enthusiastically to explain, "Well, Caroline has been Stefan's undying support since Damon left and you know how the rest of the story goes", she said with a knowing smile. Scott looked a little uncomfortable at the turn the conversation had taken. "I think I'll let you girls talk about uh- girl stuff", he said and left the girls alone but not before fixing a lingering smile at Elena. Bonnie was now going out of her mind not knowing. "What's going on between you and Scott?" she asked her friend again.

"It's complicated", said Elena. "Scott has been such a great friend despite the fact that we're vampires. He was always there for me since the day I met him and in the last couple of weeks we've been making some serious headway in the relationship department. But now with Damon back, I don't know. I never stopped loving him but knowing that he was gone, I did what everyone thought I was supposed to be doing. I moved on but now I'm confused."

Bonnie gave Elena a sympathetic smile. "I know that it couldn't have been easy. I knew when you got into that car with Damon to trigger that explosion that you didn't intend to live if he didn't. But given the circumstances, I think you did the right thing. You deserve to be happy Elena."

"Bonnie's right" added Caroline. "You had no way of knowing that Damon would be back. He had been dead for a year before you and Scott got together."

"He was upset", said Elena. "That's probably why he didn't stay when he saw us outside our room." Before Elena could say anything more, Bonnie cut in. "You can't beat yourself up over this, Elena."

"Really?" she asked incredulously. "How would you have felt if you had found that Jeremy had moved on?" Bonnie didn't know what to say and she was grateful to Caroline when she said, "Look, obviously this Damon and Scott thing is going to be a problem but we have plenty of time to deal with it. But right now, Bonnie's back so can we please talk about how awesome that is?" Elena managed a weak smile and the girls continued chatting about everything that had happened in the last year trying to get Bonnie caught up with everything.

Over an hour later, they heard the library doors open as Jeremy, Matt and Tyler entered the large room. Bonnie immediately got up and made her way over to Jeremy and hugged him and kissed him and said, "I missed you so much." Jeremy responded in kind saying, "I'm so glad you're back." She then gave Tyler and Matt a quick hug each and they were all back at the table once more talking and catching up with Mystic Falls and Whitmore and the afterlife.

_AN: With the next season of TVD starting in October, I'm going to try to speed up this story in hopes that I'll complete it before that. So if there are any typos or errors, bear with me and please let me know so I can correct it. I hope you've liked the story so far and don't worry, we'll get to see Ric soon. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Also, I have the basic outline of the story in my head but there are details I haven't worked out yet so I'd like your help from time to time. So right now, I'm wondering do you want Damon and Elena to get together in the story or do you want them to stay apart. I don't want to play the on again off again thing for too long, season 5 did plenty of that for us. Let me know what you think._


	9. Alaric

_AN: Here's a slightly longer chapter because you've all been so patient. Also I'd like to thank everyone who gave me their opinion on the whole Damon-Elena thing. Anyways, I hope you like this next chapter. Please read and review._

Damon and Stefan made their way to the parking lot of Whitmore College. "So you and Blondie, huh?" asked Damon. "For 9 months now", replied Stefan. Damon couldn't help but laugh. "I have to say, you two are perfect for each other." "What's that supposed to mean?" asked Stefan but Damon didn't answer but walked to Stefan's car and got into the passenger seat. Stefan got into the driver's seat and drove to Alaric's apartment.

When they reached the apartment building, the first thing Damon noticed a blue Camaro standing parked. Damon gave Stefan a questioning look. "Ric salvaged what was left of your car at the Mystic Grill, which wasn't much and now he drives it. I didn't think you would want it back."

"I was just curious", said Damon. "I don't need the car anymore. I don't think I'm going to have to travel a lot at least not to places that I can reach driving a car." Stefan then led him to the third floor and knocked on the door on his right. The door swung open but it didn't look like anyone was inside. Stefan nudged Damon and made him enter the house before entering himself and closing the door quickly. It took a minute for Damon's eyes to adjust to the apartment's darkness. Then he heard Ric's voice ask in surprise, "Damon?" Ric could hardly believe his eyes. "How did you get back, buddy?" he asked as he hugged his friend.

"Long story. Why is it so dark in here?" he asked.

"Vampires burn in the sun, remember?" asked Alaric. "As a nice bonus, witch magic doesn't work anymore which means there's no way I can get my hands on a daylight ring either."

"That may not be entirely true", said Damon.

Stefan interrupted his brother saying, "I don't think the other guardians would be too happy with that. If they really are enforcers of the universe, there's no way they're going to like vampires being able to walk in the day."

"I somehow doubt that. If the guardians didn't want us vampires walking in the sun, they would have done something to mess with our rings ages ago. They know we and vampires before us have had it."

"Guardians? What are the two of you even talking about?" Alaric was confused to say the least.

"Guardians – minions of the universe. I happen to be one of them now. Can we move on now? I'm pretty sure they aren't going to be too happy if I don't get back soon."

"You have to go back? Where? Why?" asked Alaric.

"Each guardian has specific duties and mine is to watch over an intermediate realm and another realm called the Darkness. They're kinda understaffed right now so I need to get back. Also I was wondering if you could lend me some stakes."

Just then there was another knock and the door opened and in walked Enzo. He noticed Damon as soon as he walked in and said, "So, the prodigal son returns. I knew death wouldn't be able to keep you away from your precious friends for whom you so bravely died for."

"You're still here? I thought you would have gotten yourself far away from here."

"Well, I've taken a liking to these American folk, thought I'd stick around a little longer before heading east."

"Could you please close the door?" asked Ric who was standing behind the door by then. "You're letting sun light in and you know I burn in the sun." When he noticed Damon giving him a stern look, Enzo closed the door and stepped inside. Ric was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you", he said stepping out of his hiding place. He turned to Damon and said, "I have all my hunting gear stashed in a spare room. We haven't had a lot of supernatural activity down here so you can take whatever you want. Everyone's too scared to come too close to the town which has been completely stripped of magic. We know it's safe but the rumours that have spread about Mystic Falls have been blown out of proportion."

"You're going hunting?" asked Enzo.

"Not exactly, it's just a precaution."

"You've never been cautious. I'm pretty sure you don't know what the word even means."

"This was exactly what I was trying to avoid", said Damon with a sigh. Turning to Stefan he said, "Why didn't you remind me that these two wouldn't be there when I told you that I didn't want to repeat the story?" Stefan shrugged. Damon then saw no other way than to explain to both Ric and Enzo everything that he had seen and everything that had happened since his death and ended with, "Now I have to go back so I can try to bring some order until whoever the prophecy was about turns up on the Passage."

Ric looked thoughtful for a minute and then said, "I'll get you the stakes" and walked into a spare bedroom leaving the three vampires alone. Enzo then asked Damon, "What's the rush anyway?"

"If you had been at the Passage, you would know. It was packed to full capacity. Centuries of dead people are stuck there until Derek or I send them on to their afterlives."

"So this has nothing to do with Elena and her new college boyfriend?" asked Enzo. Damon glared at him but before he could come up with a witty retort, Alaric came back into the room carrying two stakes and a sleeve that could launch a stake on pressure. "Try not to lose them."

"I won't. Besides, it won't help my case if they end up with the stakes. I'm not trying to make my work any harder than it is." He then turned to Stefan. "Do you think you can get your hands on a lapis ring sometime soon? Bonnie could teach me the spell and we could have Ric walking in day light again."

"I'll try but I can't make any promises", said Stefan

"Great!" said Damon, "I'll go check on Bonnie and I'll meet you at the college again." Stefan nodded his agreement. He then turned back to Enzo, "Why are you here anyway?"

"I'm just here to help out a friend", he said. "He's helping me because there are going to be people over here replacing my windows", elaborated Ric. "But that's only because he was the reason they're all broken in the first place. It took me a month to find the kind of glass I need."

"Fine-", said Damon but Enzo interrupted him with "Aren't you curious about what I did that ended up with broken windows?"

"I'm pretty sure I don't want to know", he said.

"Someone's a little grumpy", Enzo retorted.

Damon just ignored him, "Ric, I'll be back for the stakes after Stefan gets me the ring and Bonnie helps me with magic." With that, Damon disappeared, intending to head back to Whitmore leaving behind three very confused vampires. "He mentioned he could transport using magic", Stefan said by way of explanation and then left in order to look for a lapis ring that Ric could wear.

It took Stefan almost an hour but he did find a ring that would definitely be useful and then started on his way back to Whitmore.

-xx-

Damon didn't really like to spend a lot of time thinking which is why when he transported himself to the first floor corridor of the girls' dorm, he was surprised by the look of total shock and terror he was met with from the other students there. He didn't waste his time trying to use his compulsion to make them forget. He figured that even if they did tell anyone, they wouldn't be believed. Besides, witch magic didn't exist anymore. Without another thought about the others in the corridor, he knocked on the door to Caroline and Elena's room twice and Bonnie opened the door for him.

When she saw Damon, she told him, "I'm going to be getting back to Whitmore again in the next semester. Caroline's already managed to compel the staff to let me in. In the meantime I'll be at Mystic Falls so I'll be able to hold up my end of the bargain."

"Yeah, right", he said and handed over the book to Bonnie. "Look before I leave, I'm going to need your help with something. Stefan's out looking for a lapis ring and if he finds it I want you to teach me how to make it a day walking ring." When the three girls looked at him curiously, he said, "It's for Ric."

"Alright", said Bonnie. "But the grimoire is at my place. The spell you need is in there although I think you'll have to make some changes to it. On second thought, I don't think you need the spell at all. Technically, you should be able do anything you want without using verbal spells."

"Either way I need your help. And before I forget, you might need this", he said as he handed her a cell phone. "My number's already stored in there. When Stefan gets back, give me a call and I'll be right over."

"Where are you going?" asked Elena out of curiosity.

"I'm headed back to Mystic Falls."

"What's left in Mystic Falls for you?" asked Caroline.

"Nothing. Just a hot shower and maybe some more information." Before they could interrupt again, Damon transported himself to Mystic Falls, to the front yard of the boarding house.

As he stood there taking in the surrounding woods and the large house in front of him, for a moment, it felt like nothing had changed. Then he remembered having to run out of the house to outrun the spell that the travellers had cast. Everything had changed. He no longer lived here, not even on earth. Half the people had gotten to know over that last couple of years could no longer return to the town. He shook himself out of his thoughts and then walked into the house. It was too quiet inside. The numerous traveller bodies that he had laid out around the house were no longer there. When he made it up to his room, he was happy to see that everything looked exactly how he had left it. There was even some alcohol left in a glass tumbler at his bed side table. He lazily went and turned on the shower and was happy to see that the plumbing seemed to be great condition. Satisfied with a short shower, he turned his attention to the real reason he was here – his mother's books.

He searched through the library and wasn't surprised when he came up empty. There was no way any book that talked about magic and the supernatural would be put on display. He remembered that once when he was still human and living in the old Salvatore estate, his father had emptied the book cases in his room of all of Damon's mother's books and had packed them away. He figured that the basement was his best bet and went down and found boxes stacked and tucked away in the corner. He remembered having retrieved some of his own things from a similar box labelled 1864. He looked for any box labelled 1861. That was the year his father had cleared his room of all of his wife's things. It wasn't long before he found the box and opened it. As expected, he found a number of books and other things. He took the box back up to the library so he could take a better look at them.

In the library, Damon sat down and started to sort through everything in the box. There were only a few books in it and on closer examination he found that the books were a lot like the grimoire. The only difference was that these books were written by travellers and not witches. Each book bore the name of a different person which Damon assumed was the name of the person who wrote it. He took the books out and underneath it were jewellery cases, ink bottles, pens and plenty of other items that belonged to a table in the 1800's. He didn't want to miss anything so he kept digging even when he didn't expect to find anything more. So, he was surprised when the last thing in the box was a big heavy book. When he flipped open the book he was surprised to find that the book was actually written in Italian. He went back to the first page and read the title and realised that it translated to "The Guardians". Damon realised that he had hit the jackpot. He piled everything except the books into the box and left them down stairs.

He then came back to the library and sat down next to where he had scattered all the books that he had found and opened the large book and read the foreword. Translated in English, it read, "When I was still a very young girl, I lived next door to an old woman who had so many amazing stories to tell me about life after death. I loved to listen to her although I thought of them as tales until a few years ago when I saw the supernatural with my own eyes. It was then that I realised that if what she had to say to me about vampires and witches was true, then she had no reason to lie to me about the afterlife. I remember her stories with perfect clarity until this very day and I even drew out the scenes that she described to me in great detail. I have attached these as well in this book in hopes that it will help you better understand what I am writing. The main purpose of this book is to help those who believe to be well prepared for what is in store for them after death and to help those of us who face the certainty of death to face the inevitable without fear."

Just then, Damon's phone began to ring. He wasn't surprised when he saw that it was Bonnie who was calling him. Besides, he hadn't given any one else his number. That meant Stefan was back in Whitmore. He answered the phone and Bonnie confirmed what he already knew and gave him an extra bit of information – Stefan had been able to get his hands on a lapis ring. She told him to meet them at the Whitmore library and hung up. Damon took the large book in his hands and transported himself to Whitmore. He made it into the library to see Bonnie and Stefan sitting at a table in the far corner. He dropped the large book into Stefan's hands and asked, "Did you know that our mother had this book?"

Stefan looked at the cover which gave him no clues and then opened the book and read the title and said, "I've never seen this book in my life."

"Is that Italian?" asked Bonnie and Stefan replied, "It is. It's very old Italian but Damon and I learnt to read and write while we were still in school." "As humans", added Damon.

Stefan then took a ring out of his pocket and handed it over to Damon. The ring was in no way as big as Stefan's and Damon's rings were but the lapis lazuli stone shone brilliantly from where it was set. This ring would work, thought Damon. "How does the spell work?" he asked Bonnie.

"The spell has to bind the ring to a vampire. That's why your ring won't work on anyone else. You could try to make it so that the ring would work on any vampire that wears it but I think that it's still risky. You don't want the ring to fall into the wrong person's hand. It's also necessary for you to cast the spell while the ring is in direct sunlight. The best way to do this would be to take it to Ric and just try"

"And hopefully, I'll be able to get it done before sun down." Damon then turned back to Stefan, "Do you want to hold on to that book or should I take it back to the boarding house?"

"I want to take a look at it", said Stefan. "You still don't have the whole story so I could actually end up helping you."

"It's settled then", said Damon. "We should get going soon. I'm not really good at this magic thing. I'll talk to you the next time I get back to earth and you can fill me in on what the book has to say." He was about to get up and then he remembered Stefan had no way of contacting him. He scribbled his number on a piece of paper and pushed it toward Damon, "Here's my new number. I'll leave this phone at the boarding house. If there's anything, just leave me a message and I'll respond when I'm back." Turing back to Bonnie, he asked, "Ready?" Bonnie nodded. The two said their goodbyes to Stefan and made their way to Ric's apartment.

He transported the both of them right into Alaric's apartment. He was pleasantly surprised to see light streaming into the room through the windows. He guessed the windows had all been fitted. Ric walked into the living area of the apartment and jumped when he saw Damon and Bonnie standing there. "Hey, Alaric", said Bonnie. Alaric responded by giving her a quick hug and welcoming here. He then turned to Damon and asked, "Can't you use the door like everyone else?"

"I could", Damon responded, "But where's the fun in that?" Alaric glared at him. Damon tossed the ring to Alaric who caught it thanks to his vampire reflexes. "I got you a gift", said Damon. "It hasn't been spelled yet but that's why we're here."

"Alright then, what do you need?" asked Alaric.

"We need direct sunlight", said Bonnie. "Can we open one of the windows just for a few minutes?" Alaric nodded and Bonnie went to a window as Alaric moved out of the way and she opened it. Ric handed the ring over to Damon and stood back. Damon placed the ring in the path of the sunlight and concentrated on it. After a few minutes, he said, "I'm not sure it even worked."

"Let's try it then", said Alaric and Damon handed the ring over to him. Ric looked at the ring for a second before he slipped it on to his finger. Praying that it had worked, he stretched his arm out into the sunlight and was happy when his skin didn't begin to burn. "It worked", he said.

"Even I wasn't expecting that", said Damon, a little surprised. "Listen, Ric, I have to leave now. I'm going to drop Bonnie off at Mystic Falls and then I'm going back to the Passage for a while. Here's my number", he said as he typed it into Ric's phone. "If there's anything, just leave me a message. I'll leave it at the boarding house and I'll check every time I come back to check in. I'll see you soon."

"You too, buddy", said Alaric.

Damon took Bonnie's hand and took them to his next stop, which was the library of the Salvatore boarding house. He showed Bonnie the collection of what he thought were grimoire. Bonnie decided to leave Damon's mother's book in the library as well telling him that she would come in everyday to read the book and that she would also check in with Stefan as much as she could to find out what he learns from the other book. Finally he took her back to her own house.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here?" asked Damon. "I'm sure Jeremy wouldn't mind staying over for the night", he said noting that it was getting dark.

"I'll be fine", she said. "Nothing supernatural can enter Mystic Falls except you. I have nothing to worry about."

"At least promise me that you'll let Little Gilbert know that you're here."

"He already knows. I told him when he, Tyler and Matt visited Whitmore while you were out visiting Alaric. I'll call him anyway."

"I should get going then. Be safe, Bonnie. Good night."

"Good night, Damon." The next second he was gone.


	10. Things Set in Motion

Damon found himself in the room with the doors. He opened the one that lead to the Darkness and when he reached the end, he prepared himself mentally for the dim vision. He then opened the door and stepped out into the Darkness. It was only when he got there that he realised that in his hurry to get back to the Passage, he had forgotten to take the stakes from Alaric. He absently decided to retrieve them whenever he went back to earth again. Just as he opened the door to the Passage, he caught movement in the corner of his eyes.

-xx-

As Katherine heard the door open and shut, she realised that a guardian must have entered or left the Darkness. She heard the door open for a second time and being curious as to why there was so much activity she quickly made her way to the door. She wasn't sure if the guardian had left or if he was still standing there so she did her best to make no noise. It then clicked in her head that she had just heard the door open but it didn't close so there was a good chance that the guardian was standing by the doorway. She took a step backward praying that she wouldn't be heard or seen. Just then she heard a voice ask, "Katherine?" She knew the voice. It wasn't one that she was expecting to hear but she knew her ears weren't fooling her. It was Damon. Katherine Pierce couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Damon Salvatore was a guardian.

"I should have guessed you would be here", he said. Katherine couldn't see but she could tell that there was smirk on his face as he said this.

"I really thought you would join me when you died", said Katherine. "I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I would have never guessed though. Damon Salvatore is one of the guardians."

"And you're one of the Knights?"

"I'm something like a junior member. But you know me; I'll be at the top very soon."

Damon let the door swing shut behind him. "So what's the master plan?" he asked.

"Who says I have one?" Katherine countered.

"I've known you for a long time Katherine. You always have an evil plan."

"The whole not being able to see thing has kind of been keeping me from coming up with one", she sulked. "Do you think you can help a friend out?"

"We're not friends. Not in this side of the century anyway", he said. "I fed you to Silas remember and you possessed my girlfriend for a while too."

"That was fun, wasn't it?" she asked grinning cat-like at him.

"I'm curious", said Damon. "Let's talk." He put his hand on Katherine's shoulder and steered her away from the door. He didn't like the idea of Katherine Pierce standing that close to the exit. If anyone was going to figure out how to get out, he knew it would be her. However, the minute his hand touched her skin, he felt an odd prickly sensation. He figured that this was the sign that she was to spend more time in the Darkness.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked.

"I don't know. Somewhere we won't be overheard. It's only my second time in this place."

Katherine let him lead her. "You just want me away from that door because you think that I might try to get out."

"I don't think you'll try to get out Katherine, I know you will."

"I want to get out of here as soon as I can and you know I always get what I want."

"You also wanted to live but you still died." Damon sighed. "If you really want to get out of here, joining the Knights is a bad idea. They like it here and they're not going to be leaving any time soon. The only way out of here is by paying your dues for what you did on earth and when the universe is satisfied, you'll get to move on to your afterlife. You might even get to spend it with your daughter. Play your cards right, Katherine. The Knights aren't your ticket out of here. I don't know a lot about this place but this, I'm sure of."

"How did you end up joining the guardians anyway?"

"It's not a choice. It's by descent. My mother was a guardian so when she chose to go back to earth, the deal was that I would take her place when I died. I'm about a hundred and fifty years late thanks to you turning me but everything's back on track again."

Katherine paused. Then, just when Damon was about to make his excuses to leave, she asked, "How long has it been since I died?"

"It's been a year since I died and you died about 6 months before that. So a year and a half I guess. Although I have to say I was surprised you didn't pay us a ghostly visit from the other side while it was still disintegrating."

"I was never on the other side. I got sucked right out of earth and I ended up here. Didn't Bonnie tell you?"

Damon looked confused for a moment. "I don't think so. Or maybe she did and I just wasn't listening to her. It wouldn't be a first."

"How did you die?"

"Explosion. Let's just say that I went out with a bang."

"You're proud of the way you died, aren't you? That obviously means you did something incredibly stupid." Katherine thought about everything for a minute. If Damon was right and he'd been here for a year as a guardian, he was bound to know something. That gave her an idea. "How about I make you a deal? I tell you something you don't know and you tell me something I don't know."

Damon considered Katherine's idea. He had to admit it was appealing. Any insight into the Knights would be really helpful at the moment but at the same time he wasn't sure there was anything he was fine with Katherine knowing. She was sure to turn anything he said against him. The last thing he wanted was to have to deal with her for any longer than he absolutely had to. It then struck him that the best way out of this was to give her information that wouldn't give her any hope for escape. So, he agreed. "I think I could use a little inside knowledge about the Knights. But you have to go first. I don't really trust you."

"Fine. Be that way", said Katherine and shot him a look filled with annoyance. "The Knights don't like it here. They want to get out. This place is just their battlefield of choice."

"So the Knights are just waiting for the guardians to come down here so they can start an uprising against the universe?"

"That's the short version. Now it's your turn."

Damon hoped that Katherine wouldn't find a way to turn this against him and said, "There's no way out of the Darkness. To get out you need magic and without that you're stuck here for good."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"You don't", said Damon. "Also, you should remember that the Knights don't really have an advantage here. They've been here for ages but they still don't have magic."

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" asked Katherine. "I know that the guardians can't perform magic in here. If we have a war here in the Darkness we're almost even. Of course, you guardians can see and we can't but all these years in here have taught us how to get around that. But if I pull out your heart right here, you'll die just like the rest of us."

"How do you know that?" Damon challenged. "You've never gone up against a guardian. When the guardians are exceptions to so many rules, what makes you think they aren't an exception to this one too?"

"I take it the other guardians haven't told you then."

"Told me what?"

"Once a guardian did attempt to tame the Darkness and he had his heart handed to him for his efforts. He disappeared from the Darkness but he was never seen again. That was the last time a guardian was seen messing with the Knights. Although now that you're here, I'm guessing that's going to change."

"It is", said Damon thoughtfully. "And I think I'll start with you." He then turned on his heels and went back to the doors and headed back to the Passage leaving Katherine smiling coyly behind. What he didn't know was that Katherine's mind was already coming up with a new plan and all she needed for it to work was for Damon to visit the Darkness atleast once more.

Damon stepped into the Passage and immediately found Derek who simply said, "You're back."

"I had an interesting run in with one of the Knights while in the Darkness. She had some very interesting things to tell me, like about the last time the guardians tried to attack the Knights."

Derek sighed before answering. "That's why we wanted you to stay away from the Knights as far as possible. But they don't know the whole story either. When that guardian had his heart ripped out in the Darkness, we all thought he was dead just like the Knights did. But a while later, he turned up in the Passage again. It was only an hour on earth but in the time when we thought he was dead, he was actually being punished by the universe for failing. The only people who know about this are the members of the High Council. The other guardians are unaware of his attempt. The Knights don't suspect a thing because if you kill anyone in the Darkness, they simply cease to exist."

"What do you mean he was punished? He was trying to do his job", said Damon, shocked.

"Nevertheless he did fail. If you think it might help, I'll talk to the High Council and see if you can talk to the guardian."

"I would like that", said Damon.

Derek nodded. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime stay in the Passage and help as many people as you can pass on. Don't go anywhere until I get back." And just like that Derek was gone without even waiting for Damon to agree.

Damon turned back to the Passage again. The place looked as full as ever. He knew that Derek had been sending people to their afterlives for a long time now but it didn't seem to be making any difference. He thought of Cece and the Golden Pathway. He knew that there would soon be a time when the Passage was just as empty. But for now, he just had to soldier on and keep sending people on.

-xx-

Bonnie was happy to be back in Mystic Falls. She had never appreciated the joy of waking up in her own room. She had clearly slept in, seeing how it was nearly noon. She lazily went about doing her morning chores and she found that she was actually enjoying the mundane. When she was satisfied that her house was now liveable, she made her way to the Salvatore boarding house to take a look at the books that Damon had found along with his mother's things.

The minute she stepped into the large boarding house, she wished she had asked someone to accompany her. The house was so big and now that it was empty, it felt cold and uninviting. Staying alone in a large house might have been nothing for a vampire but for a human like her it was a little frightening. She fought the urge to leave and instead went to the library. The books were exactly where she and Damon had left them on the table. Damon's phone lay right next to it. She sat down and started to leaf through each grimoire. She could tell that these spells could come in handy to any traveller. Almost all the spells were to be cast by a number of travellers together. It was the only way they would have enough power to cast them. She finally decided that they were of no use to Damon at the moment. If they ever needed a spell, she could look at them again but until then, it didn't matter.

Bonnie then turned her attention back to the Damon's mother's book and she started reading again. It said, "Now, I think you're ready to hear about the realms of the dead. I'm sure they must seem puzzling. But it's fairly simple. Guardians are the only people who can perform magic in these realms. All others will exist just as humans do on earth. Even vampires and werewolves will lose their powers. It is important that those who pass on to the afterlife have all been reformed to ensure that no conflict arises in any of these realms. The number of realms is fixed but the realms themselves seem to expand. That's the best way I know to explain it. You see, at any given time on the earth, you have only three or four generations alive so it's easy to fit them all. But in the realms of the dead, you have people who have lived since the dawn of time. To accommodate all these people, the universe can make some adjustments to them. When all the realms are almost full, you'll see that they will once more be able to accept more people. No one has been able to explain why or how this happens and I'm afraid that I'm not sure of exactly how to put that into words. You will understand as you spend more time as a guardian.

There are a few rules that the people living in each of these realms must follow. They must take care of the land and ensure that the environment is well cared for. They must grow their own crops and everyone must do whatever they can to ensure that life continues smoothly in their realm. They must not institute currency of any kind. Violence in any form or fashion is strictly prohibited. If anyone is found breaking these rules, the guardian in charge must decide what is to be done to the offender. If the offence is too great, he may even be sent to the Darkness."

As Bonnie was about to turn the page, she heard a knock on the door. Curious as to who would be visiting a house that was supposed to be empty, she hesitantly opened the front door. To her surprise, she saw Sheriff Forbes standing in front of her. "Sheriff Forbes!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Liz hugged Bonnie and said, "It's so nice to have you back, Bonnie. I just come around to the property every once in a while and make sure that no one gets curious enough about the big empty house and decides to go exploring. Then I noticed the car, and the door wasn't locked anymore and when it didn't budge when I tried to open it, I thought that maybe Damon was here. Matt told me about you two were back. Anyway, are you here alone?"

"I am. Damon was here all day yesterday but he had to go back. He'll drop in once in a while to keep an eye on things here and to learn about the afterlife. I'm here to read up about everything from a book that Damon has. I'll drop by every day to do that."

"I know it's got to be a little scary staying in this house alone. So if you ever feel like there might be any danger, just give me a call. I'll make sure that someone gets here soon."

"I don't think you have to worry. Mystic Falls is now magic free, isn't it?"

"I guess that's true. But if there's anything you need, you can still call me. Now, I think I should get back to town."

"Alright. I should head back home too. I don't want to be driving when it's late out." Bonnie then stepped out and locked the house and walked to her car. Sheriff Forbes' cruiser was parked next to it. After saying her goodbyes to the Sheriff, both women got into their cars and headed back to Mystic Falls.

_AN: So from now on, the Mystic Falls gang will start making more appearances now that we have things going on both on earth and in the afterlife. As for the people who want to know if there's going to any Bamon in the story, here's the thing. I'm not so good at writing relationship between people so it never occurred to me to plan that out in advance. As of now, I'm still not sure if there will be any romantic relationships at all because I've been focusing only on the whole Damon vs. the bad guys side of things. All I know for now is that it may or may not happen. If the story allows for romantic relationships to develop between these or any other characters I will write it and do my best to do a good job. Until then, please read and review. I hope you enjoy the story._


	11. Learning from the Past

Damon estimated that he had sent around 150 people to their afterlives when he decided to take a break. He was itching to go back to the Darkness and talk to Katherine again. It seemed like the guardians had a lot of secrets and he was getting tired of secrets. He looked around the room again and it looked just as it had when he had started off. In fact, it looked worse; it actually looked like there were more people there now. Damon fought the overwhelming urge to punch something or someone hard. He took a deep breath and just as he was about to walk to the next person he saw Lexi standing in front of him. Without a word he put his hand on her shoulder and transported her to her afterlife. Lexi was about to protest when she noticed the scene around her. She was no longer in a crowded corridor but she was standing at a beach. She turned her attention to the water and saw that a few men were at sea and seemed to be fishing. Finally when she found her voice, she asked Damon, "Where are we?"

"This is your afterlife. You will be spending the rest of eternity around here."

"Are you serious? What on earth am I supposed to do by the beach?"

"I don't think the entire realm is a beach. The beach is just where I'm supposed to drop you off. And to answer your question, I have no clue as to what you're supposed to be doing. I know it's been a year since we got here but I'm still pretty new to all this."

"Has it really been that long? I guess time doesn't exactly exist in that other place. How did you figure that out anyway?"

"I went back to earth and saw a calendar there." When Lexi gave him a confused look he said, "The deal was that Bonnie could go back to earth when I had learnt everything but we figured out how to get there already so we spoke to the guardians and they agreed. Bonnie is back at Mystic Falls now." Damon sat down on the beach and looked out at the sea.

Lexi slowly sat down next to him. "Did you talk to everyone? How are they doing?"

"I met Stefan, Elena, Caroline, Alaric and Enzo. They all seemed fine."

"What's wrong Damon?" Lexi was a little concerned.

"Suddenly you care?"

"Hey, at least I'm trying. If you don't want to tell me, it's fine."

Damon stared out at the waters a little longer and then he turned back to look at Lexi and said, "It's just weird. I went back to earth and it's been a year since I died; a year since all hell broke loose. But it doesn't matter. Everything's changed. People have moved on, places have been cleaned up. It's almost as if nothing cataclysmic happened."

"You can't expect the whole world to just stop just because a couple of people died. I felt the same way when I died too. But you have to find a way to be happy for the people who have moved on without you because their chances of ever seeing you again are slim to none. Of course, it's different for you now that you can go back to earth when you want to. But the others back home didn't know that. You can't be upset about that."

"I'm not upset, not really. But there are people who you expect to wait for you-"

"Are you talking about Elena?" Damon turned back to the sea without saying a word. "She's moved on with someone hasn't she? It's not fair for you to expect her to wait. You've known for a while that you could get back there but Elena didn't. When you were still waiting for Katherine for all those 145 years, you knew that there was a way to get her back. If you had thought for even a few minutes that she was gone for good what would you have done?"

"I would have killed myself."

"Do you really think you would have?"

"I know I would have. When Stefan and I were still in transition, we didn't know about Katherine being alive. Emily only told me about that after I made my transition because she didn't want the fact that Katherine was alive to affect my decision. So I decided I wasn't going to go through with it. Then later when Stefan brought the girl and asked me to feed, I just couldn't resist it. I wasn't strong enough to fight the cravings and I gave in. I was willing to die if I couldn't live with Katherine." Lexi was at a loss and Damon continued, "I know that I couldn't have expected Elena to wait for me or do something drastic like I wanted to. In fact, I'm glad she didn't do anything stupid. But to go back to earth and to see her happy, it felt as if I didn't matter to her at all. I know it's not fair but a part of me wished that she would have been as happy to see me as I was to see her."

"Honestly, I have no idea what to tell you but the truth is Damon, you have to talk to Elena. The two of you clearly have things to work out. For your peace of mind and I'm sure hers too, go talk to her."

Damon sat for a minute thinking about it. "You're right", he finally agreed. He sighed and got up. "I think I've stayed behind for too long. I should really get back and thanks, Lexi." Lexi smiled back at him. Just when he was about to leave he remember something and turned back to her and said, "I'm sorry I killed you back then. I was trying to cover our tracks and I was being really selfish. You didn't deserve that." Before Lexi could respond, Damon transported himself back to the Passage.

When he got there, he saw Derek waiting for him. "I've spoken to the High Council and to Tobias. You can talk to him about what happened when he was killed in the Darkness."

"Great! When can I talk to him?"

"You can go right now. He's in New York right now. He said he would find you when you get there. Maybe you could drop by and find out what Bonnie has learnt as well. Information is power in the afterlife." Damon agreed and wasted no time in going back to earth. He soon found himself in a crowded street in New York. For the lack of anything better to do, he just started walking aimlessly. Suddenly he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw a short man standing in front of him who asked, "Damon Salvatore?" When Damon nodded, he said, "I'm Tobias Bainbridge. I was told you wished to speak to me." Tobias led Damon to a quiet café across the street and the two found a table and sat down. "What is it that you wish to know?" asked Tobias.

"I want to know about your experiences in the Darkness. Why did you decide to fight the Knights?" A waitress soon appeared before them and Tobias ordered himself a drink while Damon refrained from doing the same.

"I decided to fight them for the same reasons you're going to fight them." Tobias laughed at the look of complete confusion on Damon's face. "I lived on earth six centuries ago. It was a time of supernatural warfare and I was a willing participant in all of it. I even died fighting much like you did. When I became a guardian I was put in charge of the Darkness and the Passage, I was told about the prophecy. The prophecy had been made only years earlier and so the High Council was under the impression that I would be the one who would clean up the Darkness. It also seemed like the disintegration of the other side was close and the guardians were expecting the overflow of the Passage but of course it didn't happen. The High Council thought that I should get a head start on the Darkness until the other side did collapse and I was happy to hear it. I had spent my whole life in violence and I felt so lost and out of place as a guardian that the thought of a fight invigorated me. I was warned about the Knights but I just wanted a fight and I underestimated my opponents and paid for it dearly."

"One of the Knights managed to kill you. But what happened after that?"

"I'm not exactly sure where I was transported to but I think it was some part of the Darkness. But it was worse. Those who are in the Darkness can't see but they can still here and feel but when I was there I couldn't see, hear, smell or touch. You're left alone with our thoughts and the idea of spending even a few hours in there can drive to the brink of insanity. That's how they found me in the Passage, half out of my mind."

"You don't seem crazy to me." The waitress appeared again and set the drink down in front of the Tobias and with a smile she said, "Enjoy your drink" and left immediately

"I got better. They put me back on earth and gave me a job that would involve human contact so I had people to talk to and time to work through everything."

"To be honest, I was expecting a lot worse when Derek told me that you had been punished."

"All of us guardians lived a life of war. In some cases like ours, it was willing and in other cases, like Derek's it was unwilling but at the end of the day we were all fighters. To put us through physical pain would be pointless. We would be able to soldier on because we've had the practice. For people like us, being left alone with our thoughts is the worst thing that could happen. When you're alone, you will start thinking about everything that you've done; everything you could have done differently. It is torture, Damon, trust me. Whatever you do, do your best not to get killed."

"I'll keep that in mind", said Damon as he mulled things over.

"The High Council seems to be wondering if you're the guardian the prophecy is about. Did you know that?"

"I think you've got it wrong. They just want me to keep things under control until who ever they're waiting for dies and joins us."

"I'm sure that that's what they told you. Ever since my accident in the Darkness they've kept all guardians out of there unless they needed to travel between the earth and the intermediate realms. If the Council is allowing you in, it's because they think you might be the one we've been waiting for. It has a little something to do with the fact that you were a vampire before you died and from what I've heard, you still have all the advantages you gained when you turned."

"That's right."

"Your vampire upgrade will make you a better warrior in the Darkness than the other guardians. In addition to that you didn't rely on magic to save the day while you were still alive while the others did. Taking away their magic leaves most of the guardians defenceless. I may be wrong but I think right now you're the guardians' best bet. Only time will tell." Tobias paused for a minute to take a sip of the drink that had been placed in front of him. "I do love my caffeine", he said with a smile. "You look like you could use some yourself. You look exhausted."

"Yeah well, it's been a long", Damon thought for a minute. "I don't know how long it's been", he finished.

"The problem with the guardians who stay in the intermediate realms is that they forget that they have to eat and sleep because in the intermediate realms, you don't need it. But if you're frequently going to earth or any of the afterlives, you'll start feeling the effects of time. You won't age but you'll still be tired and hungry and everything else. I suggest you get some rest and some food before you go back. If you don't you'll be taking this exhaustion with you to the Passage."

"I have to eat?" asked Damon. "I was a vampire so is food going to help or am I going to have to go hunting?"

"I don't know. This is the first time we've had a vampire join us. No one will be able to answer that question until you figure that out."

Damon was starting to feel more and more frustrated with the unavailability of information. "Thanks for meeting with me, Tobias. But I think I should get going now. I have lots to do if I really want a shot at taking down the Knights", he said as he rose from his chair.

"I wish you luck, Damon. I hope your adventures in the Darkness end better than mine did." The men shook hands and Damon transported himself to the Salvatore boarding house.

As soon as he was in the boarding house, Damon switched on his phone and saw he had two messages. One was from Alaric telling him that he had forgotten the weapons and the other was from Stefan telling him that he had been reading and he wanted to talk. He decided he would go see Bonnie first and then talk to Alaric and Stefan. But before that, he wanted to have a nice long shower and some sleep. He dropped his jacket on one of the chairs in the library and trudged upstairs to his room.

-xx-

Katherine had once again found her spot by the doors. She even heard them open and close a couple of time and so she was sure that she was in the right place. She had found a couple of others who had wanted to join the Knights and she promised them that she would arrange for that to happen if they agreed to help her. She had left the two of them standing near the doors and had left to meet the leader of the Knights. Katherine didn't really get along with Loraine Chase. Both women were head strong but Katherine thought that Loraine was too old fashioned and didn't always agree with her. There was a lot of conflict between the two but Katherine knew that if she wanted to rise in power, she needed to at least pretend to get along with Loraine and that included cutting her in on the plan. Of course, Katherine wasn't stupid. She wasn't going to give away the whole thing. She would hold back enough information so she would have some kind of leverage if things went wrong.

Katherine had to admit that Loraine was smart. She didn't really move around in the realm. If anyone wanted to contact her, they could always find her in the exact same place. But somehow, she had never been caught by a guardian. Katherine knew the spot well. As soon as she was in the area, she heard Loraine say to her, "Katerina, what is it this time?"

"I met one of the guardians", said Katherine. "I knew him from when I was on earth. He was a vampire when he died but somehow he's still a guardian."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because he told me that the only way out was with the help of a guardian. I think I might have a way around it. The guardian I told you about is confident enough to be careless so there's a good chance I might be able to find out where the guardians go to."

"And what did you tell him in return?"

"I didn't tell him anything."

"A guardian even if he was an old friend wouldn't have given you any information unless you had provided him with something useful."

Katherine couldn't see but she could tell that Loraine was standing uncomfortably close in front of her but she held her ground. "I didn't tell him anything. I just told him that I wanted to get out and so he warned me against joining the Knights and said that the only way out was with the help of a guardian." Loraine didn't move for a long minute and the she stepped back and said, "I hope you're not lying to me, Katerina."

"I wouldn't lie to you."

"What's the plan?"

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

Loraine didn't like Katherine very much but she knew that she could make a great ally or a formidable opponent depending on how she played her cards and decided to play it safe and keep Katherine on her side for as long as possible. "Go ahead with what you have planned. But if I find out that you're doing something that could jeopardise the intent of the Knights, I will tear your heart out and you will be dead and this time there will be no life after it. You will simply cease to exist."

"I understand."

"Then you may leave." And Katherine left.

_AN: I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Please leave a review. I would really like to hear what you're thinking. Feel free to weigh in on the plot and relationships and pretty much anything else. Without your reviews I wouldn't be able to tell if I'm heading in the right direction. _


	12. Being a Vampire and Being Human

Damon woke with a start when he thought he heard a noise from within the house. He opened his closet and saw that there was one stake in there which he had stashed for emergencies. He picked the stake up and made his way downstairs. He held the stake raised and when he thought he saw movement, he lunged down on what happened to be a man standing at the bottom of the stairs. Just as he was about to plunge the stake into the man's torso, he heard Bonnie's voice call out to him, "Damon, stop it. That's Matt." Damon was still kneeling over him with the stake raised high. He turned around and confirmed the fact that it was Bonnie standing behind him and then got up and released Matt. "Sorry about that", he said. "I thought you were a threat."

Matt saw the stake in Damon's hand and said, "There are no more vampires in Mystic Falls, remember? You would have killed another human being if it wasn't me."

"What were you doing sneaking around the house?" asked Damon.

"I thought I heard something", said Bonnie. "Matt was just checking."

"Yeah and I didn't want to get caught by a thief before I caught him", added Matt.

Damon simply nodded and turned back to Bonnie. "Did you learn anything new from the book?"

"Nothing that's as ground breaking as the prophecy. But there's a lot of information in there."

"Speaking of ground breaking, I've got some intel on the Darkness."

"How?" asked Bonnie.

"I had a little chat with Katherine and a guardian named Tobias Bainbridge. He was in my place a few centuries ago and he actually tried to fight the Knights but got his heart handed to him for his troubles."

"Wait, how does Katherine know anything?" asked Matt at the same Bonnie said, "But he obviously didn't die."

"Katherine's in the Darkness and she's a Knight now", said Damon. Bonnie responded simply with, "Figures". Damon then continued to answer Bonnie, "Tobias was stuck in a penalty box for a few hours and then was dropped back in the Passage at the brink of insanity as he puts it. The Knights still think they killed him for good. It turns out only the members of the High Council knew about this."

"For a bunch of good guys, they do have a lot of secrets", noted Matt.

"They probably have a good reason for that", said Bonnie. "How come they're telling you all this?"

"Tobias thinks it's because the Council thinks I'm the guardian who will fullfil their prophecy. He says that since I was a vampire before I died, I have an advantage over the others. That reminds me, I need to figure out what I eat now."

"What are you talking about?" asked Bonnie confused.

"If I spend a lot of time in any realm other than the intermediate realms, I'm going to have to eat, sleep and do all those other annoying human things. But I died a vampire and I have all my vampire powers so I don't know if regular food would help me."

"I have a feeling you would need blood. The strength, speed, hearing, compulsion and everything else that you can do as a vampire was a result of drinking human blood."

"I was hoping grabbing a bite from the Grill would be an option", said Damon.

"I know it's been a year but you do remember blowing up the Grill right?" asked Matt.

The events of the day he had died still seemed surreal to Damon. He had completely forgotten that their regular haunt was no longer a place people could go to. Bonnie cut into his thoughts saying, "You should try regular food before you go on to human blood."

"I know, I know. How about you catch me up on what you've read so far and then I've got to see Stefan and Alaric. I can grab something to eat somewhere near Whitmore and if that doesn't work I'm sure I can get some blood from Alaric or maybe Caroline."

The group then moved to the library and Bonnie told him everything she had read. When she finally got to the part where she confirmed his suspicions that the books were indeed grimoire, he asked her, "The spell that let the dead cross back was a traveller spell wasn't it?" When Bonnie nodded, he continued, "The witch twin was able to cast that spell and that means you should be able to cast the spells that are in here."

"I don't know, Damon", said Bonnie. "It's a good theory but I'm not sure I want to find out."

"Mystic Falls maybe a magic free zone but there's a great big world of evil beings out there. You may not need them now but these spells could come in handy sometime in the future", said Bonnie.

Matt had to agree. "Damon has a point. You can't stay in Mystic Falls forever. With the others, it's okay because they're vampires and they can take care of themselves. If there's even the slightest chance that you could defend yourself if it came down to it, then I think you should take it. What's the harm in trying?"

"We have a deal with the guardians", said Bonnie. "I'll go through this book first and once I'm done, I'll try the spells."

"We may not have the time", stressed Damon.

"This place isn't what it used to be", said Matt. "There have been only minor events so I don't think there's anything for you to worry about."

"You have nothing to worry about right now but it's something that Katherine told me. She said that the Knights want the battle between them and the guardians to happen in the Darkness because they have an advantage there but they want to get out of there. If something goes wrong and they do find out that they have a door that can lead them to earth, I'm sure they're going to be down here the minute they figure out how. I didn't mention this to Derek or Tobias yet but there's a distinct possibility that it could happen."

"You've got to tell someone and quick", said Bonnie.

Damon suddenly felt hunger pangs and felt his fangs trying to pierce through his gums. It struck him that he was now sitting really close to two humans and he hadn't fed in a year. He no longer had any doubts about his nutrition. He needed blood. Damon quickly got up and said, "I have to leave. I just figure out what my choice of food is." Bonnie gave him a knowing look and immediately, Damon headed over to Alaric's apartment.

When Damon transported into Ric's apartment, he saw his friend sitting hunched over a table with papers spread all over them, a notepad balanced on his knee and a pen in his hand which he drummed at the table with. "Got anything to help the cravings", asked Damon. Startled, Alaric dropped the notepad and got up in a flash. When he noticed Damon standing in front of him, he relaxed. "There's a reason I have a door. You're supposed to turn up on the other side of it and knock", said Alaric. He walked to his fridge and taking out a blood bag, he tossed it to Damon. Damon ravenously tore into the bag and drank the blood. When his hunger was satiated to a certain extent, he pointed at the papers and asked, "What is all that about?"

"Research", said Ric. "Stefan asked me to see what I could dig up on the author of the book that you gave him."

Damon looked at his phone which read 4.30 pm. "Stefan should be free now. I'll go get him and we can all get caught up on what the deal with this book is." Ric nodded and Damon took himself to Stefan's room landing right near a table and knocking down a few books that had been piled high on it. Stefan who was sitting on the bed got up and was about to pounce before he realised that it was Damon who had caused all the commotion. "Can't you just knock like all the other people?" asked Stefan.

"I don't want to stay here for too long so pardon my sudden appearances. Come on, we're meeting Ric at his apartment now. I want to know what the both of you found out from that book."

"Yeah, we can do that. But I think you should talk to Elena before we leave."

"Why? What does Elena have to do with anything?"

"Damon, when you died, it devastated her and now you're back and by all rights, the both of you should be happy but instead it's the exact opposite that's happening. You don't even acknowledge her unless you absolutely have to."

"When I came back to earth, I thought I was going to see my girlfriend again but instead I found out that she had moved on. Now, it's my turn to do the same."

"But you don't have to hurt her in the process. She's probably really confused. You should go talk to her."

"If I agree to talk to her before I leave, do you promise to get off my case?" Stefan nodded. "Good", said Damon. "We have work to do." He put his hand on Stefan's shoulder and took them to Alaric's door. Ric opened the door within seconds and said, "I never thought I'd see the day when Damon Salvatore would act like a well-mannered human being." Damon gave him a wry smile and stepped into the house. The three men settled on the couch. "So what have you found out?" asked Damon.

"The book is all about the afterlife. What I've read so far agrees with everything you've told me. I think the book's the real deal."

"I looked up the author's source", said Ric. "I'm pretty sure she's a witch. I used her last name and tracked her closest relatives and one of them", Ric looked at his notes and continued, "owns an apothecary. She's supposed to be a natural with herbs. The newspaper in her town even wrote an article about her." He handed a newspaper clipping to Damon. "Long story short, her portions have healed people who were told that they would die. But here's where it gets interesting. She closed her shop about a year ago around the same time the other side was destroyed."

"That makes sense", said Damon. "Witches have a connection to the earth and when the other side disappeared, she stopped being a witch and the connection was lost. But I have a theory that if she practices her magic, she would be able to get it back."

"How?" asked Stefan. "Witches are out of the equation for good. Their source of power's gone."

"They still have access to traveller magic but that requires practice and it would have all been fine again. Like I said, it's just a theory."

"So she must have been a guardian and then she came down to earth and told a little girl all about it who ended up writing a book about it", summarised Ric.

"That would explain why her details are all correct. Her source was a guardian. The only difference that I really found in the book was that the job of a guardian is supposed to be pretty dangerous but the way you've been talking about it, it seems pretty routine", said Stefan.

Damon understood why it was so immediately. He remembered Tobias Bainbridge's story and told the other two about it. "I'm guessing she was a guardian around the same time. She may not have known this story but I think there were a lot of things going on here on earth and if she had been a guardian here, it would have been a dangerous job."

Damon stood up and said, "I hate to be the one that's always in a hurry but if there's nothing else I think I should leave."

"I don't think there's anything else", said Alaric as he got the weapons Damon had asked for and handed them to him. "The blood's in the fridge if you ever need a drink when I'm not here."

"Thanks Ric", said Damon as he accepted the weapons from Alaric. He then turned to Stefan and asked, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Alaric." When Stefan was ready, Damon transported them back to Stefan's room. When they reached the room, they were surprised to find Elena and Scott sitting at Stefan's table, waiting for him. Elena froze when she realized Damon was with him. She had been under the impression that Stefan had probably just stepped out for a couple of minutes and had been expecting him to walk in through the door and not magically appear in the middle of the room. Damon's reaction to seeing Elena and Scott wasn't much better. He said, "Awkward. I think I should just leave now." But before Damon could transport himself out of there Elena put her hand on his wrist and stopped him saying, "We need to talk, alone." Damon had to admit defeat. He nodded and said, "Lead the way."

Elena lead Damon out to a secluded place in the campus where she knew they wouldn't be disturbed and she sat down on the lawn but Damon stayed on his feet. He said, "You wanted to talk? So talk."

"Okay", she drew out. "Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"Are you uncomfortable with having Scott around?"

"No."

"Are you going to lie every time?"

"Probably."

"Are you going to keep giving me one word answers?"

"If that will make this conversation end faster, then yes."

"Damon, this isn't fair. If you're mad at me, we need to talk it out. We can't keep doing this awkward thing –whatever it is – that we're doing."

"There is absolutely no need to do anything anymore, Elena. It's not like we're together anymore."

"I thought you were dead. I spent months praying that you would somehow come back to me. I was in such a dark place back then and Scott helped me out of it and finally I started to move on and now you're back and I don't know anything anymore."

"So, now I'm the problem. You're right. I'm sorry I died trying to save your friends from disappearing with the other side."

"Your plan had nothing to do with saving my friends. You did all that because you couldn't live without your brother. You were going to drive into Mystic Grill alone and I chose to die with you but when that happened I had to move on. How long were you expecting me to wait for you?"

"You're right. I died for Stefan but I came back for you. I'm sorry I thought that was worth something."

Elena sighed. "Damon, I don't want to fight with you."

"Neither do I", agreed Damon and sat down next to her. "While I was still in the Passage, I imagined what it would be like when I would see you again but not once did I expect to see you with someone else. I know that I'm not being fair but there are some things that you just can't get over."

"I know that. But you have to understand what it's like for me. When you came back here I really didn't know whether I could make things work between Scott and me knowing that you're alive. But I owe it to him to give it a shot. He stuck by my side when everything seemed to be going wrong and I can't just leave him now that things are getting better." Damon kept staring straight ahead at nothing. Elena put her hand on his shoulder and shook him out of his reverie and asked, "Were you even listening to anything I just said?"

"Loud and clear", he replied. "I came back for my girl and now I know she's not here so I should leave." Damon gave her a week smile and transported himself back to the door that led to the Darkness. He checked to make sure that he had his weapons and started on his way to the Darkness.

_AN: I hope I'm doing the right thing with this story. Thank you for the follows and the favourites. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see that you like my story. I hope you liked this last chapter too. Please leave a review. I would really like to hear your thoughts on it._


	13. The First Mission

Damon stepped into the Darkness and the first thing he realised was that Katherine wasn't near the door but there were a couple of others standing a little ways away from where he had met Katherine. There was enough distance between the two so Damon was sure that if he needed to get one of them out leaving the other behind, he would be able to do it. He was pretty sure that these two were Knights as well. He thought it had Katherine Pierce written all over it but he still needed to be sure. He put his hand on of the two men but to his surprise, he didn't feel anything. He had read the situation all wrong. When the man felt Damon's hand on his shoulder he almost started to talk but Damon clamped his mouth shut and whispered into his ear, "I'm going to get you out." He felt the man still struggling in his grip. He clearly didn't believe Damon. The other man started to call out, "Paul, what's going on, man?" Damon quickly pulled the man who he now figured was Paul and opening the door to the Passage, he pushed the man into it. The man stopped struggling and the door swung shut after the two of them and he said, "I can see again."

"That's because you're no longer in the Darkness."

"Then where am I?"

"You're on your way to a place called the Passage. That's where all the dead supernatural beings go to before passing on to their afterlives."

"But I wasn't a supernatural being while on earth."

"When we get there, I'll take you to the Golden Pathway. That's where you're supposed to be."

"Are you sure? I was told that I was in the Darkness because I had done in my life and that I would be spending all eternity down there."

"Who told you that?"

"Loraine did."

"Who's Loraine?"

"Loraine Chase. She's the head of the Knights. They're working on a way to get out of there."

"Clearly, she lied to you." The door to the Passage appeared in front of them. Damon opened the door and the two of them passed through. From there, Damon transported them to the Golden Pathway. The realm looked exactly like it had the last time he had been there. This time it was completely empty except for Cece who smiled when she saw Damon and walked up to them. "What do we have here?" she asked.

"I got you a lost soul", said Damon. "But I would like to have a little chat with him before you can send him off. He was trying to join the Knights."

A look of comprehension dawned on her face. "Do you mind if I listen in?" she asked.

"Not at all", said Damon and then turned back to Paul. "So Paul, tell me exactly what happened since you died."

Paul looked uncertainly at Damon and Cece but replied all the same. "One minute I was on earth and the next, I was in this dark place that I couldn't see at all. I was told by Loraine that I was in the Darkness and that I had been sent there as punishment for my deeds on earth. I was also told that I would be spending all eternity in there. It was later that I heard about the Knights when one of them found me and took me to Katerina. She told me that the Knights were trying to find a way out of the Darkness and they were close to escaping. I wanted to join the Knights because I wanted to get out too and she said that she would help me. But Loraine wasn't too thrilled with the idea and I was told that I could join them only if I proved myself. To do that, I had to follow Katerina's orders. She had me and the other guy, Mike stand guard by the door. She wanted us to see how many times the door opened and closed and how many people were going in or coming out."

"Do you have any idea how the Knights intend to get out of the Darkness?" asked Cece.

"I don't know anything specific because I'm not a Knight. But I know that Katerina is under the impression that the doors are the way out. I think Loraine doesn't believe her yet but she is expecting some kind of a war."

"Katerina or Katherine was the vampire who turned me and I did tell her that the only way out was with the help of a guardian. I know her well enough to tell you that whatever Katherine's planning is only going to get her out. She doesn't care what happens to the others. She's all about self-preservation."

"You spoke to a Knight?" asked Cece incredulously.

"Only because I already knew her and she was waiting by the door. I'll be careful when I go there from now on. I'll make sure she doesn't get out or anything. Anyway, she doesn't know where the doors lead to."

"Did she tell you anything?"

"She told me that the Knights wanted to get out and the only reason they were staying was because the Darkness was their preferred battle field. I think you should send Paul on now. I'm going back to the Darkness."

Cece agreed but said, "I'm coming with you to the Darkness. Just give me a minute." She then disappeared with Paul. In the meantime, Damon wandered about the Golden Pathway idly and then just transported himself to the door to the Darkness. Within the minute Cece was back asking, "Shouldn't we get moving?"

Damon nodded and opened the door and gestured for Cece to enter. Damon stepped in behind her and the pair made their way to the Darkness. When they reached the Darkness, Damon handed her a stake and said, "Just in case" and then signalled for her to quietly follow him. He saw the man, Mike, standing exactly where he had been the last time Damon was there and laid a hand on his shoulder and it was clear that the man was supposed to be in the Darkness. "Hey", the man said and Damon stepped out of his reach swiftly and together, the two ventured deeper into the Darkness. They kept their eyes and ears open for any threats and at the same time kept a look out for any lost souls.

-xx-

Loraine Chase was a lot of things but she wasn't an idiot. Katherine was well aware of the fact and which is why it was very important for her to be careful about how much information she revealed. Her plan hinged on Damon screwing up and knowing Damon, she was sure that he would screw up eventually. She just hoped that it would be sooner rather than later. Either way she didn't want Damon to know what she was planning. But at the same time, she wanted to talk to him as well. He knew something no one in the Darkness knew; he knew what lay beyond the doors and he knew the way out of there. As she was trying to plan her conversation with Damon in her head, she felt strong arms grab her and then someone was whispering to her to keep quiet. She had a feeling that this was Damon. She was being steered away and that gave her a sense of déjà vu. Clearly he wasn't comfortable talking to her in any place he thought she would be comfortable.

When they finally stopped, she heard a female voice say, "I'm sorry we had to pull you away this far but there was someone there where you were standing and we don't want to be overheard."

"Are you really apologizing to Katherine Pierce, a Knight, for the inconvenience you've caused her?" she head Damon's voice ask.

"What's this about, Damon?" she asked.

"We're here to cut you a deal. Tell us who's leading the Knights and we'll take care of him and any other Knights we can get a hold of. But we'll make sure you're safe and we'll try to get you out of here", said Cece.

"How do I know you aren't going to screw me over and who are you, anyway?" asked Katherine.

"I think the real question here is how do we know you're not going to screw us over", retorted Damon.

Cece shot Damon a warning glance and said to Katherine, "I'm Cece and I'm a guardian. He's in charge of sending dead supernatural beings to their afterlives and I do the same for the humans. Of course Damon has an extra responsibility. He's supposed to be cleaning up the Darkness too and I'm going to help him."

"How will you get me out of here?" asked Katherine.

"I already told you that the guardians were the only way out. Help us and we'll tell you exactly how to do it. You'll be able to move on to your afterlife and live in peace for all eternity, assuming you don't screw up again."

"Damon's right", said Cece. "But there's more to it. I can't stand for dishonest deals so I will give you the entire terms. You will have to stay in the Darkness for a while after we destroy the Knights. In that time you will have to ensure that you don't conspire against the universe like the Knights are doing right now. The length of your stay is entirely in your hands. In exchange, you will tell us who the key players of the Knights are. We'll be discreet about it so you don't get into any trouble here. When we get rid of them, we'll help you get out."

"There's one more condition we need to add", said Damon. "You have to stay far away from the doors. One of the guys you had on lookout didn't belong here so I took him back to Cece and he's moved on. The other guy isn't a Knight so he's alive. But if that changes, I will kill him too."

"Just give us the leader of the Knights. Once we get rid of the person on top, the others will probably fall in line." Cece hoped that Katherine would agree and everything would end well. "Let's end this as soon as possible and you can all move on from here."

"Fine. I'm only doing this because I want her gone anyway. Loraine Chase. That's her name. I don't really know much about her but she was killed around the same time Klaus was after me for the sacrifice. She was one of the vampires trying to win Klaus' favour but things didn't work out for her and Klaus killed her. She's got everyone in here calling me Katerina Petrova. She's always in roughly the same spot so everyone can get in touch with her easily. It's about 50 feet away from where you found me. Get rid of her for all I care."

"Thank you, Katherine", said Cece. "The first step to getting out of here is to atone for you deeds on earth. Hopefully helping us put a stop to the Knights will be enough."

"I doubt it", said Damon.

"That's right, I almost forgot. You blame me for everything, don't you?" said Katherine. "You know me as well as anyone, better than most to be honest. You know I'm always going to be looking out for myself. If I find out that you're messing with me, you will end up dead like that other guardian." With that Katherine turned away and stormed off.

"You could have been nicer to her", admonished Cece. "She is helping us."

"No, she's helping herself. Trust me, if Katherine didn't want Loraine dead in the first place, she wouldn't have told us a thing. She's never going to change."

"But for now she's given us information and hopefully it's not bad intel. Let's see if we can find Loraine Chase." Damon and Cece walked to the place Katherine had told them about. There, they found a young woman wearing old fashioned clothing. Damon guessed that he was looking at Loraine Chase. Despite her youthfulness, her features were hardened just as one would expect of a woman who had been running from Klaus. "Loraine Chase?" asked Damon as he laid his hand on her and felt a jolt run through his hand. He immediately took a step back.

"Who is it?" asked the woman.

"We're guardians", said Cece.

Loraine let out a horrifying laugh and said, "I already killed one of your precious members which is what made everyone accept me as their leader and I've been waiting for so long to have a second taste."

"Are you aware of what you must do to get out of the Darkness?" asked Cece,

"The other guardian told us just before I killed him. I don't believe a word any of you have to say."

Just then Damon caught someone walking towards them and stopped the man in his tracks. Damon could tell that the man needed to spend more time in the Darkness. "Stand right here", he told the man. "What's your name?"

"John Casey."

"John, I'm Damon. My friend Cece and I are guardians and we have some matters to take care of. Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you, we would just like you to act as a witness. Do you know that Loraine Chase is here?"

"Yes", said John uncertainly.

"You fool!" cried out Loraine. "Were you the one who told the guardians where to find me? This is why you can't be a Knight. You're too stupid, too lazy to be one of us."

"That's enough, Loraine", said Cece with such authority that Loraine actually stopped talking.

Damon continued talking to John. "We're going to kill sweet Loraine here and you're going to help us get the word out that she's dead. You will stay here and say to anyone looking for her that the guardians killed her and that if any of them want to get out of here ever, they should repent, really feel sorry for what they did while they were on earth and while in the Darkness. Got it?" John nodded weakly. "I understand why Loraine doesn't like him", Damon mumbled under his breath.

"I'm not your average dead supernatural being", said Loraine.

"And I'm not your average guardian either", said Damon and the next second he was in front of her face. "I got lucky in some ways." Then he flashed behind her and put his hand on her shoulder and turned her around. "I'm faster and smarter and you'll never see what I have planned for you until I actually show you." He quickly drew out his stake and stabbed Loraine. She immediately started to bleed and Damon stepped away so she fell to the floor with a loud cry of pain.

"Did you just kill her?" asked John in a shaky voice. Damon replied with a simple, "Yep". He then turned to Cece and asked, "How long do you think it will be before she dies?"

"I think she has to die of blood loss just like a human would if you stab them. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine."

"Let's help her then", said Damon and he pulled out the stake and within the minute Loraine Chase was dead. "I would have let her suffer but I kinda wanted my stake back." He then steered John to Loraine's body. "Check for signs of life", he said. "We do breathe despite being dead for some strange reason and we do have beating hearts."

"Most of us do, anyway", said Cece. "Oh that's right", said Damon. "I'm still a vampire." Meanwhile John stooped down and checked Loraine's body and he was sure that she was dead. "She's dead", he said to Damon and Cece. She them replied, "Loraine's body will be gone in a while and you can make sure you get the news out along with what Damon told you. Hopefully, you'll all be able to redeem yourselves and get out of here soon." Then, Damon and Cece continued to make their rounds around the Darkness looking for lost souls, leaving John behind next to the body.

To say that John was scared was an understatement. He soon heard footsteps approaching. He stood as quietly as possible. He heard a woman's voice call out, "Loraine where are you?" He then heard the woman gasp and fall down. He guessed that she had tripped over the body. "Loraine?" he heard her call again. "Is that you? Are you lying on the ground? There's no breathing. What's going on?" she screamed.

John hesitantly spoke up, "Miss, it was the guardians. They killed Loraine."

"Who is that?" the woman asked.

"I'm John Casey."

"What are you talking about, John? You had better not be lying to me. Just so you know, you're speaking to Sarah James. The last thing you would want to do is cross me", she said menacingly.

"I'm telling you the truth. A guardian killed her and said that the rest of us should feel sorry for what we've done if we wanted to get out of here. I also heard them say that he was a vampire." John's voice was shaking. This was not the situation he wanted to be in.

"Fine", he heard Sarah say and then she stormed off.

_AN: I finally thought I was close enough to another major part of the story and figured I could reveal at least a tiny bit of it which is why I've updated the story's summary. Also I can not thank you enough for reading and reviewing and following and favorite-ing. Thank you so much! I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you like where the story is going. Please leave a review and tell me what you think._


	14. Gearing Up for War

Sarah James wandered around the Darkness looking for other Knights. She figured she would at least be able to find a few of them at the place where they stopped the people who were in transit to the afterlife. It was a very simple trick but the guardians had been too afraid to come down to the Darkness to figure out. But now, after centuries, that had changed. At least two guardians were already here. She had to assume that they had brought others with them. If they were daring enough to kill Loraine, it wouldn't be long until they figured out all of the Knights' secrets. She needed the Knights to regroup so they could come up with the best way to thwart the guardians. Loraine had been expecting a war between the guardians and the Knights. Sarah could only guess but she was sure that it had just begun.

When she reached the spot where the Knights were waiting for souls to arrive, she called out, "Linus, Charlie?" Another voice called out, "They're not here. I think they've gone out to meet Loraine."

"Serena", she identified the speaker. "Loraine's dead. The guardians are here."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Serena Jones. "I spoke to her not too long ago."

"I'm sure. Things have changed since then."

"What do guardians want with us?"

"The guardians rule over every other realm. They want control over the Darkness as well. Loraine always said that there would be a war here soon."

"I know. But I always thought she was just being paranoid."

"She wasn't .She's dead now and that's proof enough for me. We need to find a way to combat this. Can you get the most influential out the Knights to meet me soon? We need to come up with a plan and we need to do it soon."

"I'll do that", agreed Serena. "Meet me back in Loraine's usual spot." Sarah agreed and the two parted ways.

-xx-

Damon and Cece had spent a great deal of time rescuing lost souls from the Darkness. When they decided that they had spent enough time there, they each decided to check with Derek at the Passage. When they were making their way out, they saw that Katherine's look out was still standing there. He quickly opened the door to the Passage and when they had both stepped through, he made sure that he closed the door behind him. He then said to Cece, "I see Katherine's minion hasn't left yet. There's no way she's going to keep her end of the deal."

"We don't need her to abide by all our terms. As long as she gives us names, we don't have to worry about her."

"You're underestimating her. We're talking about the woman who cheated death twice. She spent her time running from Klaus to great success. She's just manipulating us like she's done to a hundred different people before us. And I'm being conservative with that number."

"You think that Katherine's just doing this so she can assume leadership of the guardians. Am I right?" Damon nodded. "Let's say that you're right. We don't have to hold up our end of the deal until the very end, after the Knights are all dead. If she does become the leader, we'll kill her too."

"Who authorised this deal, anyway?"

"The High Council did that. It was supposed to go to any Knight we could find. Since you already knew one, I thought we should give her the chance."

"I think it's been wasted on her. There's a chance that someone else might have actually benefitted from this."

"Maybe, maybe not. But the deal's been made Damon. I'm sure we'll be able to take care of this.

"Are you sure that helping us would be enough to convince the universe that Katherine isn't going to be a problem? She told me that the universe hated her enough that she didn't spend any time on the other side. She was sucked right into the Darkness even before the other side started to disintegrate."

"If she really does help us end the reign of the Knights, it should be enough. You haven't been here long enough to know what the Knights are like. A person telling you things isn't good enough some times. Also, you seem to have a knack for dealing with all this so maybe it won't be so bad anymore." At that point they had reached the door and together they stepped into the Passage together. They soon found Derek and told him everything that had happened while they were in the Darkness and everything that they had learnt. Derek was glad that it finally seemed like things might work out in their favour.

After the long narration, Damon told Derek, "If the Knights decide to attack us, Cece and I won't be able to do much. We'll be out numbered. I think it's time the guardians prepare themselves for a possible war against the Knights. I know they're scared but news of Loraine Chase's death might help them believe that they could win."

"I'll tell the High Council and if they agree, we'll tell the other guardians", said Derek.

"Derek, I think it's time to let go of the secrecy about the Darkness. We might be looking at war and proper information would really help right now", said Cece.

Derek agreed. "I know that. I'll convince the Council. Check back with me soon and I'll keep you updated. Meanwhile I think a visit to Mystic Falls is long overdue."

"I'll go down there and I'll be back soon."

"Cece, check back on your realm and see if you can spare some time to help out with the Passage." She also agreed and the three went their separate ways to attend to their duties. All three of them suspected a war but what they didn't know yet was the magnitude at which this war was going to take place.

-xx-

Katherine was thinking about the deal Damon and Cece had offered her. She didn't trust them but she had gone back to where Loraine usually was and was told that she had indeed been killed by the guardians. She was certain that a power struggle would soon begin among the Knights and if she wanted to come out on top, those doors were her only shot. They already knew about her look out so she needed someone else there and that someone else would also have to be very unobtrusive. She also needed to replace the one Damon had taken away. She knew that she couldn't station an older Knight there because they would kill any guardian who sets foot in the Darkness and she didn't want that. The guardians were the key to getting out of there but making a deal with them wasn't the way to do it.

Katherine quickly spoke to the first two people she met and told them everything she needed. She convinced them to join her in executing her little plan. She took them to the doors and when she called for Mike, he replied, "Come to the door, Katerina, quickly." Katherine asked the two new comers to wait where they were and she headed toward the doors. To her surprise, she found that one of the doors was held open. When stepped through the door, she could see. "What happened?" she asked.

"A guardian went through here just seconds ago. If we follow the path we could probably get to where the guardians come from." Katherine called the other two and asked them to keep the door open. She knew that if the door shut, the only way to get it to open again was with the help of a guardian. She and Mike went down the long path and soon they saw a tall lanky frame with blonde hair walking in front of them. Katherine pulled Mike backward and they kept a safe distance from the guardian. They followed him and saw that he arrived at a door and just as it was about to swing shut behind him, Katherine rushed to the door and held it open. When she was sure that the guardian was far away from the door, she stepped out and made sure that Mike held the door open. She was in a room with more doors. She experimentally twisted one of the door knobs and found that it opened with ease. The door led to a large room and she was sure that the room was a Cathedral. What was more, she recognized the Cathedral. She didn't know how it was possible but she was certain that she was in New York. She knew how to use this to her advantage. She no longer needed the guardians or the Knights. She could just stay here but she wasn't certain that she would be able to evade the guardians. She needed a distraction. If she slipped out in the midst of chaos, she had a better chance of escaping.

She knew what she had to do; she had to go back to the Knights, not the powerful ones but the low ranking ones. She instructed Mike and the others to hold the doors open unless a guardian came into the Darkness. Katherine on the other hand was able to arrange for about 6 Knights who were ready to go to New York. She sent them there with some instructions. She told them that if they did exactly what she asked them to do they would soon be free from the guardians. She then promised them that when the time was right, she would arrive on earth and would lead the rebellion on earth herself. In time the 6 Knights went to New York City and Katherine and the other three remained in the Darkness. Katherine thought the idea of sleeper cells on earth was brilliant and sure enough, things were going much better for her than she had anticipated.

-xx-

Bonnie and Elena were relaxing in the large dorm room after an intense week of classes. Caroline and Elena had so many assignments due and they had a round of tests just around the corner. Caroline walked into the room carrying a number of books in her hand. She unceremoniously dumped them on her table and flopped down on the bed saying, "I would kill for a day away from all this!" It was only after that, that she caught sight of Bonnie sitting next to Elena on her bed. Caroline sprang to her feet immediately. "You didn't tell me you were coming", she said excitedly.

"I asked her to come", said Elena. "I was sure we could all use a nice evening away from all that." She gestured at the books that Caroline had just dumped on the table. She then turned her attention to Bonnie. "What's going on in Mystic Falls?" she asked.

"Honestly? Nothing and it's great!" said Bonnie enthusiastically. It's just like it used to be before all the vampires and werewolves decided to settle there. The only thing supernatural about the town is Damon who pops by once in a while but he's not a threat."

"I never thought the day would come when Damon would be perceived as 'not a threat'. What's the news on the other side?" asked Caroline.

"I think he's expecting trouble in the Darkness and it turns out, Katherine is a Knight."

"That's not entirely surprising", said Elena. "She's evil and manipulative; she must fit right in with them."

"She told Damon something and that's got him worried. He thinks the Knights might come to earth if they find out how. He even went as far as telling me to work on my magic", said Bonnie.

"Wouldn't the guardians just snap them back to the Darkness if they tried to get down here?" asked Elena. She was starting to get a little concerned.

"Damon's relatively new to being a guardian. If their methods have worked in all this time I'm sure they aren't going to start failing now. I'm sure we have nothing to worry about", said Caroline.

"Actually, there's one difference", said Bonnie. "For centuries now, the guardians have ignored the Darkness. If Damon's going to start killing Knights, they are going to fight back any way they can."

"And besides, Katherine wasn't there earlier either", said Elena knowing her doppelganger was capable of causing trouble.

"I thought we were taking a break", whined Caroline. "Can't we talk about fun things like parties or just gossip?"

"Maybe Care, that's because I haven't really been to any parties in a year and all the gossip I have is just depressing", said Bonnie.

Caroline finally conceded saying, "Fine. Let's talk about how all hell might break loose literally."

"So, Bonnie, can you really practice magic now?" asked Elena.

"In theory, yes", replied Bonnie. "Assuming our theory is correct", she added.

"So what are we supposed to do now while we wait for a possible zombie apocalypse?" asked Caroline.

"I don't know. I guess we just have to practice and train and keep our ears open for any news about the afterlife. If there's any loud chatter about what happens after we die, then we might have a problem", said Bonnie. "Until then, we just wait." And that is exactly what they did.

-xx-

Damon didn't go back to the boarding house immediately. Instead, he decided to pay Alaric a visit. He knew no one was really a fan of his entrances and he also had bad news so, he decided to do it like a normal person and knocked on the door. Ric opened the door and seeing it was Damon, he was surprised. "When did you learn how to knock?" he asked.

"Would you rather I just barge in?" Ric just shot him a look but made no reply so, Damon continued, "I don't think any of you are going to like what I'm going to say and so I'm doing the best I can to make sure you're not already pissed off when I tell you this."

"What happened?" Ric asked, concerned.

"Nothing's happened yet. Katherine, the Knight has been offered a deal which she has agreed to think about and knowing Katherine I'm sure she's going to find a way to screw us over. She's had her eye on the doors that lead out of the Darkness and I'm worried that she might find a way back to earth. If she really wants to take over the Knights, the best way to do it would be to stir things up in both the Darkness and on earth. She doesn't really have to do anything in the Darkness. I may have taken care of that myself."

"What did you do this time?"

"I killed the leader of the Knights and made sure that word of her death spreads throughout the Darkness. I heard a lot of whispered conversation while I was still there so I'm sure what I did worked perfectly. I'm sure the Knights are going to get organised before they attack. Long story short, the war between the guardians and the Knights has almost begun."

"That is bad news", said Ric thoughtfully. "What do you want me to do?"

"You were a human vampire hunter and then a vampire vampire hunter so do what you do best, start hunting if you see anyone who might potentially cause us trouble."

"This place really isn't what it used to be, Damon. I haven't seen any disturbances here."

"I know that. But if Katherine finds a way out, they will start soon and I'm not going to be able to tell until it's too late. If trouble's brewing, you'll know before I do. So keep an eye out for me."

Ric thought about it for a minute. "You know what? I think you have some magnet pull about you that attracts supernatural troubles", he said with a laugh. "I'll keep my eyes and ears open."

"Thanks Ric." Damon was truly grateful for Alaric. He couldn't have asked for a better ally. "I'm going to check in with Bonnie and then get back to the Darkness. "I'll see you later, Ric."

This trip to earth was far from over. He still had to warn Bonnie, Stefan, Caroline and Elena. He would also have to make some arrangements with Jeremy and Tyler in case someone did cross over from the Darkness to the earth. Having fought in a war before he was well aware of how important it was to have proper plans in place. If he didn't cover every possible angle on this trip, the guardians would end up with a huge rebellion on their hands and Damon did not want to be the cause of that. A war was fast approaching and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure that the guardians come out on top.

_AN: Ah, yes. Everybody's making their own preparations for the war. I wanted to cover everyone in this chapter but it was getting really long and I wasn't sure an extra long chapter was a good idea. You'll see the others in the next chapter. Also, this story is turning out to my wishlist as well and I know that a lot of you want something I would like to happen, happen. There's going to be a small surprise for you in the next chapter which I think most of you would like. But as for this chapter, I enjoyed writing it mostly because I was able to get a lot of things going. I hope you liked reading it too. So let me know what you think and leave a review. You're reviews, favorites and follows are such a huge source of motivation for me._


	15. Eyes Wide Open

Damon still had tons of things to do. His trips to earth were getting longer each time and he already felt hungry. He figured that was probably because he now knew he had to eat. Either way, what had to be done had to be done. Alaric had offered to let Damon snack on his stash but he had been so focused on everything that he still needed to do that he hadn't realised that he might grow hungry. He made a split decision and went to the Mystic Falls hospital and making sure that he didn't get caught, he went into the storage room where the hospital kept its blood. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he grabbed a couple of blood bags and headed to the Salvatore Boarding house and soon drained both blood bags. It was then that he heard the door open and he turned around to see Bonnie entering the house. When she caught sight of him and the blood bags, she said, "I can't say I'm thrilled with your diet."

"Well, neither am I", said Damon honestly. "But for some strange reason I was feel really hungry this time."

"It's probably the magic. It depletes your energy and that means you have to feed to get it back up. You probably don't feel it when you're in the Passage but when you're on earth, you're a living being which means you need energy."

Damon nodded and then getting rid of the blood bags, he joined Bonnie who had moved to the library. "What have you learnt since the last time I was here?" he asked.

"Not much. How are you doing with the magic?"

"I've been rescuing lost souls. I can't really use magic in the Darkness so I don't see the point."

"It was part of the deal Damon", explained Bonnie. "I'm supposed to make sure that you can perform magic well."

"I guess it might come in handy", said Damon reluctantly. "I killed the leader of the Knights." Bonnie's eyes widened but Damon continued, "I also think Katherine has something planned and I'm worried that some of them might end up here in which case, I'm going to be fighting a battle both here and in the Darkness."

Bonnie was simply lost for words. She knew that this was going to happen but she wasn't expecting it to be this soon. She finally found her voice and asked, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

"Honestly? I don't know. All I know is that right now strategy matters. I know I have the advantage here but I'm not going to underestimate the Knights. They still outnumber us."

"So what is the strategy?" she asked.

"It's nothing complicated. The guardians and I just kill as many Knights as we can in the Darkness and on earth, you guys have to keep your eyes and ears open for any signs that the Knights are here."

"How exactly are you going to do that?"

"News spreads a lot faster these days so we should hear about it. I have Alaric actively looking for incidents and I'm going to New Orleans to see if I can get Klaus to help."

"I'm pretty sure Klaus isn't going to care."

"And I'm pretty sure that Klaus has killed at least few of the Knights. They're already dead and they have nothing to lose. What do you think would happen if one of them found Klaus?"

"I'm still not optimistic about it."

"There's one more thing. I'm going to need Tyler, Jeremy and Matt's help. Do you think you can get them here?"

"Yeah, I'll call them." Bonnie quickly called Matt and asked him to meet them at the Salvatore Boarding House along with Jeremy and Tyler. She then hung up and turned back to Damon. "Now, about the magic, how is that going?"

"I can manage pretty much anything I put my mind to", answered Damon. "You really should start working on it too."

"I have been working on it. I haven't spent a lot of time on it but I do practice for a few minutes every day."

"That's all I ask", said Damon with a smile. He then heard a knock on the door. "That was quick", he said. He opened the door and saw Jeremy. "Where are the other two?" Damon asked him.

"Do you mean Matt and Tyler? They're probably at Mystic Falls. Why do you ask?"

"Bonnie just called Matt and asked him to get the two of you and get here. I guess you haven't heard from Matt then", he said and stepped aside to let him in. As the two walked to the library, Jeremy's phone rang and the screen told him that it was Matt calling him. He answered the call and telling him that he was already at the Salvatore Boarding house, he hung up. When Bonnie saw Jeremy, she asked, "What's up Jeremy?"

The two sat down and Jeremy answered Bonnie's question saying, "I found this at a cafe outside Whitmore when I was visiting Elena." He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it over to Damon. Damon smoothed out the paper and read it out aloud, "Learn the truth about the rulers of the world. You may not be facing hell fire but a dangerous fate lies ahead of us all. Meet us at the Mystic Falls cemetery at 6 pm on Saturday and help us help you."

"It looks like you were right", said Damon.

"It's uncomfortably close to what the Knights would say. It's outside the no magic zone so it's worth checking out. What day is it today?"

"Saturday", replied Jeremy. "I can check it out."

"Do that and take Alaric with you." They again heard a knock on the door and this time, it was Matt and Tyler. When they had also settled into the library, Damon explained everything to them including the note that Jeremy had found. He then went on to detail what he needed from them. "We need to know what happens to these Knights when they cross into Mystic Falls. If we're lucky, they wouldn't have found out about Mystic Falls yet but given that the meeting is outside the perimeter, I think there's a good chance they know, assuming that these are the Knights, that is. Alaric is already on look out. So if you guys happen to find a Knight, figure out what happens when they cross the border and call me and tell me exactly what happens. Does that sound good?"

Jeremy and Tyler nodded. Matt asked, "What if he dies? How do we know if he's gone for good or if he's been sent to the Darkness again?"

"That's my part in all this. I can figure that out", said Damon. "That's one of the reasons why I want you to call me."

"Sounds like a plan", said Bonnie.

Pleased, Damon said, "Now I'm going to pay our old friend, Klaus, a visit. I'll check back with you guys at Ric's place tonight. Agreed?" The other four nodded and Damon then grabbed his phone and transported himself to New Orleans. He had no clue as to where to find Klaus so he just walked into the closest bar only to realise that he was hungry again. He bought himself a bottle and tried to think of where a vampire who didn't need to hide out in the day time would be. He thought hard about Klaus and everything else he knew about him hoping that it would give him some clue. He slowly drank from the bottle. The burning alcohol didn't completely quench his thirst but it did dull the sensation and that helped him think clearly. Still, he couldn't come up with an answer. He then remembered that the guardians had a way of knowing where to find someone. The only explanation to that was magic. So, Damon put his drink down and took a deep calming breath and closed his eyes. He thought about Klaus and asked the universe for his location. But just as he was about to give up, an image of an alley flashed in his mind. He knew the place. He had been there before and that made him wonder if he had just thought of the place in his desperation to find Klaus. He had only one way to be sure and so he ended up transporting himself to the same alley. Much to his disappointment, Klaus wasn't there. He stepped out of the alley and onto the street and caught sight of a blonde haired figure quickly making his way, trying to mingle with the crowd. Damon ran up to him and called out, "Klaus."

Klaus turned around and when he realised it was Damon, he quickly pulled him into another alley nearby and hissed, "What do you think you're doing? Do you have any idea how important it is for me not to be recognized here?"

"Are you running from someone?" asked Damon incredulously.

"My days of running and hiding are over. Never the less, this is a situation that requires utmost secrecy." It was only then that Klaus had his moment of realization. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"I am technically dead. But I have something important to talk to you about."

"Make it quick. I don't really have a lot of time."

"I have reason to believe that some people who are supposed to be dead have managed to make their way back to earth. I want you to give me a heads up if you see anyone like that."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because these people who might be back are probably people who you've killed and who want you dead."

"That doesn't bother me in the slightest. I need a better incentive. How do you know all of this?"

"I died, went to the afterlife, ended up being in charge of a bunch of dead people and while trying to bring order over there, I ran into Katherine and it didn't really take me long to figure out what her plan was."

"I propose a bargain."

"So that means I have something that interests you."

"Yes, Damon. Knowledge interests me. Knowledge is power. You tell me about the afterlife. I've heard a little about it. From your little recap, I assume you're a guardian. Tell me what you know and I'll keep an eye out for these supposed escapees."

"They're called Knights. For every Knight, I will give you a few fun facts about death."

"Sounds fair to me", said Klaus. Once the deal was sealed, Damon went back to Whitmore to explain the entire situation to Stefan, Caroline and Elena.

-xx-

Bonnie was at home getting ready for the meeting at the cemetery. She had decided to join Tyler, Matt, Jeremy and Alaric even though they were all against the idea. She heard the doorbell ring and opened the door and let Matt enter. He said, "For the record, I'm totally against this."

"I know that", said Bonnie. "But I don't see the harm. For all we know this might just be some guy trying to trick people into giving him money for fake information. There are a lot of people obsessed with death these days. This would actually be a profitable business."

"Are you ready to go? Jeremy and Tyler are waiting for us."

Bonnie grabbed her purse and locking the front door, she got into the car with the boys and soon they were at the cemetery. The last time she had been there was the day she had died. It still made her uneasy when she thought about the events of that day. She did her best to ignore it as she got out of the car. She soon spotted the blue Camaro driving towards them. Alaric parked next to them and together, the five of them entered the cemetery gates. The place was still creepy when it was late. It didn't take them very long to figure out where the gather would be as a pretty large crowd had already gathered in there. As they walked to join the crowd, the noticed that all of them were facing what was roughly, the centre of the group. Five pairs of eyes turned in the same direction to see a young man dressed in a black t-shirt and leather pants, standing on top of a tomb stone. He also had his ears and nose pierced and his shaggy black hair fell into his eyes. "This is clearly going to be a waste of time", said Alaric. "This guy is just some 21st century goth."

"We've come this far. We might as well listen to what he has to say", said Bonnie.

The young man was now saying, "They claim to be good but all they're doing is forcing us to live in darkness when they send only a handful of people to the life that they deserve. If you die right now, you have a lot to be afraid of. Join us in the uprising and death will no longer be something to fear!

Our fearless leaders are working hard and despite the disadvantages they face against these guardians, they have a plan to save us all and it will be possible only if you are willing to help us."

"I take that back", said Ric. "This isn't a waste of time at all."

The man was winding up his speech saying, "Join us and let us be your knights in shining armour. Any questions?" There was a lot of hushed murmuring in the crowds but no one seemed to have any questions.

"At least he's eloquent", said Matt. Then they heard a voice ask out loud, "How do we know what you're saying is true?" The five of them turned to see who asked the question. Surprised, Jeremy said, "I know her. I know all of them with her. They're all from my school."

"That doesn't really surprise me. What teenager isn't obsessed with the supernatural?" asked Ric.

The young man began speaking again, "I know it might be hard for you to believe but I've been there. There is more to this world than any of you know. Vampires, werewolves and witches exist. It is the witches who have been given the power to rule over the dead. They are now abusing this power and imprisoning the innocent. I have seen it happen. I've escaped with the help of one of our leaders. She will be joining us soon to help with our plan."

"Katherine?" Tyler asked the others.

"We will be starting a rebellion soon. The place where we were imprisoned is called the Darkness. An uprising will begin there and we will be given a signal at which time we will join them. The only way we could be successful is if we join hands. Your life isn't the end; you have an afterlife. Think about it", finished the young man. "Anything else?" He looked around the crowds and no one seemed to say anything. So the man ended the meeting saying, "If there are any further questions that you're afraid to voice in front of a crowd, you can talk to me in private after this. The rest of you, please think about what you've learnt today and if you wish to help us, join me again next week right here at the same time and I will provide you with more information. Good night."

Alaric turned to the other four and said, "Hang back. I want to talk to this guy." He then walked over to the young man and extended his hand to him and said, "Alaric Saltzman, vampire."

The young man hesitated for a minute before he smiled and said, "Luke Jones, vampire" and shook hands with Alaric. "What can I do for you today, Mr Saltzman?"

"Please, call me Alaric. I'm actually pretty new to all things supernatural but I've seen enough to know that I should give you the benefit of the doubt. There's a lot I would like to talk to you about. Do you think you could spare sometime for drinks in town?"

"Yeah, that sounds nice. We could really use people like you backing us up." Luke then looked around and said, "There seem to be a few others I have to talk to. So why don't you give me directions? I'll meet you there in half an hour."

Alaric gestured to the group standing behind him. "I have to leave right now so I can take care of a couple of things but these guys are with me and they'll be willing to wait for you and give you a ride there." Tyler nodded in response to this. Alaric pointed at Tyler and said, "That's Tyler, he's a werewolf but don't worry he's on our side. Let's just say that he has some interests in the vampire world."

"That sounds great", said Luke and shook hands with Alaric. As Luke moved on to talk to the others waiting for him, Alaric joined the others and asked, "How many volunteers to take our new friend to Mystic Falls?"

"I'll stay", said Jeremy. "I'm still a hunter and odds are, he won't be able to do a thing once we've crossed into Mystic Falls."

"The rest of us will wait outside Mystic Falls", said Alaric and with that, the gang split up.

_AN: I know you're thinking, what's wrong with this woman? She goes from updating ever other day to not making a sound for over a week. You have a point but I've been busy. I know I have to wrap this story up very soon and I will. Meanwhile, thank you for being patient and reading. Please leave a review and let me know what you think._


	16. Teamwork

Alaric sat in Damon's old car just outside of Mystic Falls with Bonnie next to him and Matt in the back seat. They had been there for about half an hour now and Jeremy had just called them to let them know that they were on their way to Mystic Falls. Bonnie was murmuring something under her breath but Alaric just didn't feel like asking her what she was doing.

The trio watched as a number of cars whipped by headed into Mystic Falls. It was fifteen minutes later that they saw Tyler's car drive past them. In a matter of minutes, they would find out about Luke's fate. Alaric sat back and his mind wandered over to the afterlife. The two realms had been entirely separated for centuries but now, that was no longer true. Trust Damon Salvatore to be a part of the reason why all hell was about to break loose. He wasn't mad at Damon. Alaric knew that his intentions had been pure and that he was doing everything he could to make sure that things didn't get out of hand but he just couldn't push aside the fact that his friend was usually either in the middle of a supernatural issue or was doing something to make things worse. Matt's voice cut into his thoughts, "How long do you think it will be before the Mystic Falls catches up to that guy?"

"Not too long", replied Bonnie. "I know that Damon and Elena started feeling the effects while they were on their way to the Grill. They were lucky to have died as vampires actually."

Ric agreed. "If I'm not mistaken, they died seconds before they turned human again."

"So it shouldn't be long now", said Matt. Alaric just nodded and the three sat in silence for a few more minutes until finally Bonnie's phone lit up to indicate that Tyler was calling her.

-xx-

Jeremy remembered that Damon was still on earth and tried calling him. When Damon answered, Jeremy consulted Tyler and spoke into the phone, "We're on our way to the diner near where the Grill used to be. Do you think you can meet us there?" Jeremy listened for a minute and then again said, "The guy from the cemetery had a lot of amazing things to tell us. He's with us right now and he's agreed to tell us more about everything. I'm sure you would want to hear about this too." Jeremy listened to the answer on the other end before hanging up.

"Who were you talking to?" asked Luke.

"That was our friend, Damon", Jeremy answered.

"Yeah", agreed Tyler. "If there's anyone who could help with what you're planning to do, it's him."

"Damon?" mused Luke. "The guardian who killed off one of our leaders was also called Damon. At least that's what Katerina told us."

Tyler looked very uncomfortable when Damon's name was mentioned.

Jeremy noticed that they had just entered the Mystic Falls boundary. He kept glancing backward to see if there was any indication that the lack of magic was affecting Luke at all. Clearly, he didn't know about the magic-free zone or he knew that it wouldn't affect him. Either way, they were going to find out soon enough. Just then Luke called out to them from the back seat, "Hey, guys. There's something wrong."

Jeremy immediately spun around in his seat to see Luke gasping for air and holding his hands over his stomach protectively. "What is it?" asked Jeremy.

"My stomach hurts like hell", said Luke. "It's as if someone stabbed me. I can't think of any other way to explain it."

"We're already at the diner", said Tyler turning into the parking lot. "We can get you some blood when we get there."

Damon was already at the parking lot, waiting for Jeremy and Tyler. When he saw Tyler parking his car and getting out of it, he walked towards them. He then saw Jeremy climbing out as well and opening the back door. Damon approached the car and asked the boys, "What happened here?"

"This is Damon", said Jeremy pointing at him.

"Why is he bleeding?" asked Tyler.

"I'm guessing that's how he died as a human", said Damon. "Mystic Falls is killing him."

"What are you talking about?" asked Luke frantically.

"Who sent you here?" countered Damon.

"Our leader sent me here. I'm a Knight", he said panicking.

"That's not good enough for me. I want a name."

"Are you a guardian?" Luke was starting to wonder if he was talking to the guardian who had killed Loraine.

"Do you even want to live?" asked Damon incredulously. "You don't get your answer until I get mine."

Luke's shirt was completely ruined by then. "Katerina Petrova", he said. "That's the name of the Knight who sent me here. Now help me", his voice was much weaker but he cried out as best as he could.

"Is he just going to bleed to death?" asked Jeremy.

"I don't know. I guess we'll find out soon", answered Damon. Luke was still feebly asking for help. The three stood watching, making sure that they weren't spotted. "How many others were sent here with you?" he asked Luke.

"Why should I tell you?" rasped Luke. He was very close to dying. "It's not like you're going to help me or anything."

"It doesn't really matter. I don't need to know how many of you there are here. I know that you are here and that's all that I need right now." He then turned to Tyler and Jeremy and asked, "Do you think we should help him along and make him die sooner? His voice is grating my nerves."

Tyler was the one to answer him. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. You want to know what Mystic Falls will do to him." Just then Luke's protests died down. "Does anyone know how to check for a pulse?" asked Tyler.

Damon pushed the two teens aside and checked Luke and was happy to see he was dead. How about one of you call Ric and Bonnie and let them know he's dead. Tell them we're on our way to meet them. Tyler took out his phone and did as directed. The three piled into the car and made their way out of Mystic Falls to meet with the rest of the gang.

A few minutes into the journey, Damon felt the winds grow harsher around him and so he rolled up the window. It was then that he noticed that it didn't really seem to bother the others. For a second, it felt as if he were standing on the other side just seconds before its disintegration. It was only then that he noticed that Luke was sitting up next to him. He called Jeremy and Tyler but neither of them responded. Damon was starting to think that he was seeing some part of the universe that belonged to the dead. That would explain why he Jeremy and Tyler couldn't hear him. "Where are we?" asked Luke

"We're headed out of town", said Damon. The winds seemed almost violent by then. He watched as the winds picked Luke up and whisked him away. Damon was feeling a strange sense of déjà vu as he watched the scene unfold. When the winds died down, Damon looked down and noticed that he was gripping the front seat hard and Jeremy was looking curiously back at him. "What happened?" he asked Damon.

"I think I just saw Luke being taken away to the Darkness."

-xx-

John Casey stood at the same spot he had been when the guardians had left him but now he was surrounded by about five other Knights. He was repeating the events that lead to Loraine's death and everything that the guardian had told him. When he finished speaking, silence descended on the group. Finally Serena spoke up breaking the silence, "So what are we going to do? The war has begun and we haven't organized the troops yet. Everything is happening too soon."

"That's where we start. We have to organize ourselves. Until the problem is resolved, the Knights will have one additional rule - see a guardian, kill a guardian", said Linus. He was one of the oldest inhabitants of the Darkness. A werewolf during his lifetime, the bloodlust hadn't left him long after his death. "Is there anything else we need to know, John?"

John hesitated before he answered in a shaky voice, "The one that killed Loraine said he was a still a vampire." Stunned silence fell over the group. A voice spoke up not too far away from where the group stood, "And he has his vampire powers too if I'm not mistaken. At least his hearing was much better than anyone else's. I would definitely call that a vampire thing."

"Identify yourself", said Serena.

"Katerina Petrova", the voice answered. "I knew that with Loraine dead, you would all soon be having a little meeting about our guardian problem so I decided that I would show up too."

"Were you here at the time of Loraine's death too?" asked Sarah. She was a little stunned.

"No, I wasn't. But I was the one who gave the guardians the information."

"Katerina, why would you do that?" Linus was appalled. "You are one of us. Why would you help the guardians?"

"It was either me or her and I chose her", replied Katherine hotly.

"What's keeping us from killing her", asked another man named Charlie. "She's a traitor and she deserves to die."

"If you want a shot at getting rid of the guardians, then you would keep me alive." When no one said anything, she continued, "The vampire guardian is someone I knew back when he was on earth. I was the one who turned him. I know how he thinks so I'm your best chance. Besides, if you kill me, you'll never find out how to get out of here. That would be such a pity because there's a door in the Darkness that leads straight to New York."

"I don't believe you", said Serena.

"You don't have to", countered Katherine. "But now I know you won't kill me. The chance that there could be a way out is enough to stop you."

"Prove it to us", challenged Linus.

"I'm not going to tell you where it is. The location is my leverage. The location won't really help you in any case. You guys don't know how to go through those doors. I do have someone who can attest to the fact that the door does exist and that I've already sent a few Knights over to New York. Mike, tell them."

Mike spoke from next to her and said, "What she's telling you is true. I've been standing by the door for a while now."

"Alright", conceded Sarah. "Katerina, brief us on your plan and we'll add to it and make sure our chances of success are as high as they can be."

"It's simple. I will get as many people out to earth as possible without the guardians finding out. If a guardian tried to kill one of us here, we'll still have enough people to deal with him or her. After that first kill it's going to be obvious that we're planning something. So at that point, we'll all leave for earth. The Knights whom I've already sent to earth are recruiting other supernatural beings about the afterlife. With their help we'll be able to stage a rebellion against the guardians."

"That sounds like a reasonable plan", said Linus. "So who stays and who goes?"

"Well, Katrina has to stay here", said Sarah. "I would like to stay with her and make sure things go well here. Linus and Serena, I think you two should go down there and make sure that everything's going as per plan. Charlie would also have more success with us here in the Darkness."

"How soon can you get us across, Katerina?" asked Linus.

"I'm not sure. It shouldn't take very long. Tell me how I can get in touch with the two of you. The first chance I get, I'll get you both to earth."

"You can meet us right here. The other Knights are bound to come here at some point of time or the other now that they know what's going on. So we'll be here and start explaining things to them", said Serena.

"The rest of us will start talking to people right now and see who's willing to work on earth. When we find someone, we'll send them here", added Sarah. "Now what do we do about John?"

"He has to stay here", said Charlie. "We don't have a choice. The guardian who killed Loraine knows where to find him." With all these details sorted out, the Knights each went their separate ways to start preparing for what they hoped would be the beginning of the end of the rule of the guardians.

-xx-

Damon, Tyler and Jeremy reached the spot where Alaric was parked and parked right in front of them. Both parties exited the car and Damon dragged Luke's body out. When Ric noticed the body, he said, "He died. I guess that's nothing to be surprised about."

"He more than just died. He got sucked away the way a lot of people did when the other side was falling apart", said Damon.

"He must have gotten sucked away into the Darkness", said Bonnie thoughtfully, "Katherine was the first person that I know who got sucked away and she ended up in the Darkness."

"That's what I thought as well", replied Damon. As they were talking, Luke's body seemed to turn to dust and the dust was blown away by the wind. "I'm guessing that this is what happens to people who die in the Darkness too. I have to go back now. We need to know what else Katherine's planning. I'm sure other Knights have joined her now that Loraine's dead."

"Be careful", said Bonnie.

"I will", he answered. "You guys still have to keep watch here. If you find someone who seems to believe this guy, let me know. I'm going to have to make them forget."

Jeremy remembered Luke's speech and said, "He wanted them to meet him again next week at the cemetery. You can just come there and perform the memory wipe there."

"That's a great idea", said Tyler.

"If you can't make it for some reason, we'll see who's in the crowds and we'll let you know", said Ric.

"Thanks a lot you guys", said Damon and then he left for the Passage.

-xx-

The meeting of the High Council was in full swing. Derek had just brought the other members up to speed on everything that had happened in the Darkness. Jade said, "Damon and Cece think that a war is about to begin but I'm not sure if this is the war that the prophecy talks about. If it's not, we'll lose and if we tell the others everything we'll be giving the Knights a chance to find out the truth as well. It's not a risk that we can take."

Derek was expecting the High Council to be willing to stop covering up but he was wrong. He still argued hoping that he could give Damon a fighting chance. "I don't know if Damon's the guardian that we're looking for but right now, he's the one with the best chance of winning so why can't we try to better his odds."

Jade responded saying, "We can't take that chance, Derek. If Damon's the one then he'll win the war anyway. We can tell the others about Loraine Chase but we cannot tell them anything else. If they wish to join Damon in the Darkness, they are welcome to."

"I have to agree with Jade", said Gideon. "We have to protect our interests. We have to do all we can to ensure that in the worst possible case we still have a fighting chance. These secrets are our safety nets."

"The only way to win a war is by working together. The guardians are supposed to be a team and that means we have to back each other up. Damon's already got people on earth working with him. I can't stress enough that teamwork is key", emphasised Derek. "I'm sure even the Knights have figured that out by now. Besides, they've got people on earth trying to start a rebellion too."

When Anya noticed that Jade and Gideon weren't arguing, she asked, "What do you think, Tamar?"

"I agree with Derek. The High Council was meant to lead the guardians not to rule over them. We kept secrets about the Darkness in the interest of all other guardians but that isn't true anymore. The others deserve to know the truth. I know that Damon has told the people he's working with. It's not fair to keep the guardians in the dark when people who are still alive know more than they do."

"It's your call, Anya", said Jade.

"We're all in this together", said Derek. "Whatever you decide I promise we will all abide by it."

Anya thought about it for a minute and then she said, "Tell everyone the truth in its entirety." The others nodded and she continued, "When Damon comes back to the Passage, let me know. The next time he goes into the Darkness, I want to go with him."

_AN: I didn't want to go to bed without updating this story first. So bear with me if there are any mistakes cos I didn't proof read it. If you see anything, please let me know and I'll correct it. So anyway, the battle is heating up and everyone's starting to take action. I guess this means we're at the beginning of the end. I hope you've enjoyed this story so far. Let me know what you think. Leave a review and tell me what you liked and what you didn't or who you would like to see in the battle that's about to happen and I'll try to write them in._


	17. Deeds of the Dead

When Damon headed back to the Passage, he took a good look at the place for the first time since things had started to heat up in the Darkness. He was happy to see the crowd was thinning. It was nowhere close to being as empty as the Golden Pathway but this was a start. He knew he had Derek to thank for that. Damon was still lost in his thoughts when Cece appeared in front of him asking, "Did you hear the news?"

"What news?" asked Damon confused.

"The High Council has made its decision. They're going to tell the other guardians everything."

"And then what happens?"

"Any guardian who wants to help us can do so as long as it doesn't disrupt their duties."

"But I wouldn't really count on them." The two heard Derek's voice say before they saw him. He continued, "Despite knowing everything, most of them don't want anything to do with the Darkness. There's still a lot we don't know about the place and the inability to see beyond a few feet in front of us is a huge limitation."

"The Knights can't see at all and they're doing such a great job staging a jail break", said Damon. "People need to understand that we aren't the ones who are at a disadvantage here."

"They need proof, Damon", said Cece calmly. "How are things going on earth?"

"Reasonably well. We took care of one guy. I was about to check in with you two before I went back to the Darkness to see if Luke turned up there."

"Is that the name of the Knight?" asked Derek. When Damon nodded, Derek asked him, "When do you plan on making your way back there?"

"As soon as this conversation's done. Why do you ask?"

"Anya wants to join you", said Derek.

"Why?"

"She probably wants to see for herself. Anya doesn't like to rely on second hand information", said Cece by way of explanation.

"I don't like the sound of this", said Damon.

"Unfortunately for you, that isn't going to change anything", said Anya appearing in the Passage.

"Would it kill you guys to not creep in and pop up in a conversation?" asked Damon, a little annoyed.

Anya just smiled and said, "I've been keep tabs on you, Damon Salvatore. Are you ready to go?" she asked him. Damon nodded in answer. "We should be leaving then. Derek and Cece, thank you so much for helping out with the Passage. We'll check back with you when we return." Anya gestured for Damon to lead the way and the two disappeared into the throng of dead supernatural beings.

-xx-

Katherine Pierce was happy to see how well things were working out. She had set out to save only herself and that hadn't changed at all. The confusion that she was sure was about to follow would let her slip out without being noticed. Damon was a complication though. He knew she wanted to get out and he knew her tricks as well and distracting him was not going to be easy. She just hoped that if she were a lesser a nuisance than the others, he might just let her go. At least she hoped he would for a while and that head start would be enough. Then it struck her, Damon was now a guardian and that meant he would be able to find her. Back in the day when Klaus was hunting her, he relied on people he trusted or people who feared him to keep him informed and she relied on a similar set of people who she trusted or who were afraid of her to keep her location a secret from Klaus. But Damon didn't have to rely on people anymore; he had magic.

She wandered around the Darkness aimlessly. She was at a place that was normally a flurry of activity but today it was quiet. She was at the place where the Knights stopped the souls who were on their way to the afterlife. What the guardians didn't know was that even the souls that weren't supposed to spend time in the Darkness first arrived there and at that point these people were usually dazed and confused so they stayed put for the few seconds that it took for the universe to kick back into gear and move them on to where ever they're supposed to go. The delay was only about a fraction of a minute but that was a large enough window of opportunity for the Knights. All they had to do was to get these people to move from where they had been dropped off. It was as if the universe looked for them only at those exact spots and if it didn't find someone, it just moved on. The guardians didn't spend enough time in the Darkness and so they never really found out how the Knights were able to do all this.

Katherine still hadn't figured out exactly what the universe was or how it worked. She knew that it wasn't a person. She knew it was something intangible. But judging by how easy it was to disrupt the dead souls that were passing through, she figured that the universe wasn't particularly smart and that's why the guardians were so important to the design. Maybe the universe came up with a bunch of rules that even it couldn't live with and so it came up with the idea of the guardians as a way of helping itself and everyone else. Maybe it was something else entirely; something that she just couldn't figure out.

The Darkness felt oddly empty now. But she knew that was just a feeling. Katherine had sent Linus and Serena off to earth along with about a dozen other active Knights. The next time she found an opening, she wouldn't be sending other Knights over to earth. The next time, it would finally be her turn to return and hopefully she would be able to rebuild at least a part of her former life.

She wandered back to Lorraine's usual spot. When she was almost there, she heard muffled footsteps and then whispers. When she walked closer to the source of the voices, she was more than just a little confused. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn that that was Luke who was talking. But Luke was on earth and she had sent him there. She still called out, "Luke?"

Startled, Luke answered, "I won't do it! I won't tell you anything, guardian!" He screamed out.

"Luke, it's me. Katherine. What happened to you?"

"Where am I? Am I back in the Darkness?"

"You are. What happened to you?"

"A guardian found me", he said. "He's got the people on earth working with him. And it's not just the humans who are on his side. One of them was a vampire."

"It must have been Damon. He has friends down there and he's also the one that killed Lorraine." Katherine thought she heard a sound and hushed Luke. She heard footsteps approaching her and there was more than one person coming towards her. "Who's there?" she called out.

"Who do you think?" asked the voice.

"Damon", she bit out. "I thought you'd be busy killing Knights", she said, trying to keep her voice even.

"I was", he answered. "In fact I killed your friend here. I always wanted to vknow what would happen to a Knight if they were killed on earth. I guess I have my answer", he said and Katherine heard Luke grunt in pain. "I just didn't see the point in letting Luke live. I don't think anyone should outlive their usefulness and that applies to you as well." She felt Damon's hand around her neck, constricting her airway. She started gasping for air.

"Must you be so violent", she heard a woman ask.

"Do you really expect me to be nice to her? She broke the terms of our agreement!"

"But the fact that she considered helping us proves that she deserves a second chance."

"If there's anything Katherine Pierce deserves, it's a permanent death", said Damon, without loosening his grip around her neck.

"Damon, you must learn to let go of the past" she said calmly. Damon finally let Katherine go and she slumped to the ground gasping for air. When waw breathing normally again, she asked, "Who is she?"

"That is beyond what you need to know, dear. But Katherine, I hope you decide to stay here and not return to earth. But if you do go back to earth, I won't be able to stop Damon from killing you. Are we clear?"

"Yes, we're clear", said Katherine reluctantly.

"We best be on our way, Damon." Then Katherine heard two sets of feet walking away from her. Katherine took a deep breath and decided that she needed to rethink her plan. She needed to evade the all-knowing guardians and she needed to figure out how very soon.

-xx-

As they walked away from Katherine and towards where Damon had killed Lorraine, Damon asked Anya, "Why did you let her go? She broke the rules, she deserves to die."

"She could still be of use to us. You died a vampire which means you know a lot of other vampires. If you hold on to a grudge against supernatural beings, it's going to be extremely difficult for you to do your duty correctly.'

This effectively silenced Damon's complaints. Instead of commenting on what Anya had said, he said, "We're almost there", referring to the place where Lorraine had been killed. "Why do you want to see the Darkness anyway?"

"It's the guardians' duty to keep this place in check and we've failed. But now that we're finally taking some efforts to clean this mess up, I thought I should help as well. I wanted to see the state of the Darkness for myself before I got involved. I wanted to know exactly what we're up against."

Damon nodded and said, "We're here."

"Guardian", they heard a voice snarl.

"We seem to have company", said Damon. "A lot of it. There were about 6 people standing in front of them. Damon guessed that they were all Knights. He sprang into action immediately and quickly stabbed a man with the stake he carried. The man immediately fell to the ground with a scream. The others then seemed to realise what was going on only then and before he knew it, he was being attacked by them all. All Damon could think was, "5 against 2 isn't really a fair fight." He was grateful for Anya's help. She was trying to pull a few of them away from him and from what he could tell, the Knights hadn't known that Anya was there until she started fighting. In a matter of minutes, they had managed to kill three others. The fact that the Knights couldn't see was a huge advantage but they were smart. The two remaining Knights fought Damon relentlessly. Even as Anya tried to divert at least one of the Knight's attentions, they ignored her. Damon knew he had to be careful. He had a weapon and he did not want to lose it. He felt sharp claws on his chest and he looked down to see, that the Knight had managed to pierce his skin. He tried to push the Knight away but was too strong. Anya was busy trying to pull the female Knight who was trying to pin Damon's hands behind his back away from him that she didn't realise how close Damon was to getting killed.

Damon weighed his options. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get a shot to the man's heart but he could stab him and that would give him a few seconds to ensure that he got the upper hand in this battle. But at the same time there was also the risk that the woman might succeed in holding him back and he would be dead within seconds. He did have a clear shot to the woman's heart and if he took it, he knew that the man would definitely kill him. Kill one of them and be killed or try to kill one of them and possibly be killed. He knew that death wouldn't be permanent for him and he had only seconds to make a decision. Death hadn't made Damon any less impulsive and so he chose his first option and swiftly swung his stake around and embedded it neatly in the woman's heart. At the very same instant, he felt the man's hands reach into his chest cavity and his strength wane. He braced himself as his heart was ripped out of its place. Damon fell backward with the stake still in his hand. Anya quickly took the stake and stabbed Damon's killer. Clearly, the Knight hadn't expected it. But she didn't run it through his heart. Someone had to tell the Knights that Damon was dead. This way, the next time the Knights saw Damon, they would be in for a real surprise. She quickly grabbed the stake from Damon's hand and fled the scene making her way to the Passage. She had to tell Derek what had happened and they would have to keep an eye out for Damon. She hoped that Damon's time in isolation wouldn't affect him as much as it had affected Tobias.

When she reached the Passage, she quickly found Derek and Cece and told them everything that had happened. She told them that she would inform the Council of what had happened as well. Derek was not happy with the way things had turned out and to be honest neither was Anya but she thought that by getting himself killed, Damon was taking a calculated risk. After much deliberation, the Council agreed with her but they still weren't convinced that Damon was the one that the prophecy talked about.

Gideon put into words what the rest of them were thinking. "There's still a chance that Damon's not the one who's meant to win this war for us. The truth is, we won't know with certainty until the Darkness is back under our control. Having been a vampire in his lifetime, he is better equipped than the rest of us to deal with the Knights but if his time in isolation does affect him, we have to stop our plans for the Darkness right away. Damon can continue with his duties in the Passage or we could send him to earth like we did Tobias but we will wait until we have a proper plan and good chance at winning."

"I'm afraid we're a little too late for that", said Jade. "The Knights are already on earth and that means this war has begun whether we're ready or not. With or without Damon, we're going to have to fight. We said we would stand by your decision, Anya and we will. But I have to say that I'm afraid you might have made a bad one." If Anya had to be honest, doubts were creeping into her mind as well but the choice had been made and now there was no turning back.

-xx-

Charlie stumbled through the Darkness. That guardian had been much stronger than he had anticipated. He had managed to kill all but one. He was certain that if the other guardian had wanted to, she could have easily killed him but she didn't and he wasn't willing to waste his time wondering why. He soon found Katherine and told her everything that had happened. Katherine was stunned for a second. She asked, "You killed Damon Salvatore?" She didn't know if she should be happy that her plans for escape would work out much better or if she should feel sorry that Damon ceased to exist. Katherine chose the former. "This is a good thing", she said. "He was our biggest threat and now that he's gone, the Knights are going to be victorious. But there is a minor problem."

"What's that?"

"The guardians know that the Knights are on earth. I found one of our own who was supposed to be on earth just a little way away from here. The guardian had found him and killed him on earth and that brought him back here."

"That's good news Katerina. It means that we can't be killed while on earth. That just makes the earth an amazing battlefield."

"It also means that the guardians can't be killed on earth."

"You can't be sure of that. We belong to the Darkness and so when we're killed in the Darkness, we cease to exist but elsewhere, we're returned here. The guardians on the other hand belong everywhere. That's why killing them in the Darkness kills them for good."

"That's a good theory", said Katherine. This seemed to make Charlie happy and he left telling Katherine that he had to spread the good news.

Katherine's mind was churning after Charlie left. For the first time, she started to wonder if the guardians could ever be killed. Damon was reckless but he wasn't suicidal. He wouldn't have let himself get killed if he knew there was no coming back for him, would he? The more she thought about everything, the less certain she became of the Knight's victory. This reinforced a single thought in her mind: she needed to get out of here and away from the Knights as soon as she could.

_AN: I'm sorry it's taken me almost a month to get this up. It's not that I've lost inspiration or anything. It's just that I've just started classes and it feels as if my college's trying to prove to me that getting a Master's degree is going to take up a lot of my time. I will write this story and complete it but unfortunately I won't be able to do it before the new season airs. I hope you guys will continue to read it even after S06 starts. I also hope you've enjoyed my story so far. I really love writing for you but I'd like to hear what you think. So please leave a review._


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